Testimonials
You all have helped me and my family, I can’t begin to describe the ways you have had a very positive impact on our lives….from the pantry items to gift cards to most importantly, the kindness, compassion and respect shown to us by the staff. Thank you.
CSN Client - 2025
A Staff Story
By Ray Pillidge – Executive Director, Community Service of Newburyport
In June 2025, Pam (Gray), Sara, and I were invited to the high school graduation of someone we’ve been working with for several years. G., who is 18, lives with her mom, and her older brother. Over the years we have been working with them there have been many chapters of our involvement with this family, many pain points, challenges, and successes.
G. graduating High School with a full scholarship to a nursing program is one of those successes. G.’s older brother is also graduating from his EMS program and looking to go on to college. In fact, I was sitting next to him in the stands at the football field where the graduation was taking place and he told me he had to do high school online because the family was homeless for three of his high school years.
Working with this family stretched us in many ways, into areas of advocacy in health, immigration, and housing, that were new to our work at CSN; bearing witness to the local discrimination and racism because of the family’s poverty, language, and ethnicity; and somedays just finding enough resources to do what needed to be done. I was so proud of G., and her family for getting to this point.
They are truly the heroes of this story. I’m also proud of my colleagues who didn’t shy away from the challenges presented in this case, from big things like other systems that were unhelpful, to making sure G. had the things she needed to go to the Prom. We learned so much from this, too much to capture here, but I hope you can see from this brief description the enormous impact of what we do.
Clients Speak
Thank you so much for always greeting me with a smile. I always feel welcome and comfortable. Community service is the place I think of when I’m in need and the outstanding people that work here are the best and most kind. Community service helps a great deal in my struggles as a single parent of two. I honestly am so very grateful and appreciative of all the help that is provided it is truly heaven sent.
A CSN Client – 2025
It’s hard to choose with what topic start being grateful for. It would be impossible and we would have to spare some other necessities if we didn’t visit Community Services weekly. The strain to our budget that paper towels, toilet paper, detergent, dish wash, feminine pads, toiletries put on our family is huge and thanks to Community Service I can buy more meat and dairy when I don’t have to buy those essentials, it really makes a difference in my pocket.
Before we got here I did have a job and provided for my family, a few months after the move, my intellectually disabled daughter was diagnosed with schizophrenia, so I’m not able to work, she wanted to bike so much and Community Service made it happen
For Christmas they make such a great impact, we really didn’t expect anything and when my teen son received his gift cards, he said he had never thought or expected such a valuable Christmas gift, he was so surprised that xmas morning. They have a fun size pantry with a variety of useful items and are an important resource directing us.
Staff really wants to help and ask us for our input on how to do better
It’s a shame that Community Service, and who the donors are, don’t get to experience the disbelief, joy and gratitude as a parent, and as a child who receives it.
A CSN Client – 2025
I am writing this message today to express my deepest gratitude for the incredible support and kindness you have shown to me over the years. Your services have not only been a lifeline during challenging times but also remembering the compassion for the community through home products, food, and assistance made a lasting impression on my life. Your commitment to help me and others and listening to those in need are truly heartwarming and impressive.
Please know that your hard work does not go unnoticed and I will carry your kindness with me and I am a better person because of the HELP you have given me and others. Continue to do all the best you have been doing.
A CSN Client – 2025
You all have helped me and my family, I can’t begin to describe the ways you have had a very positive impact on our lives….from the pantry items to gift cards to most importantly, the kindness, compassion and respect shown to us by the staff. Thank you.
A CSN Client – 2025
Thank you for helping me in my recent struggles! Your calm and patient voice and tone comforted me and I was embarrassed to ask for help. Thank you for the delicious meals at St. Paul’s as well.
A CSN Client – 2025
Thanks to the financial assistance and camp scholarship provided by Community Service of Newburyport , my son has been able to experience opportunities that would have otherwise been out of reach for our family. These scholarships have not only allowed him to attend camps with his friends, but they’ve also given him the gift of belonging—eliminating the feelings of being different or left out because of our circumstances.
While my son is aware that we sometimes face limitations, he’s still young, and I want him to know it’s okay to ask for support—and that he deserves the same opportunities as any other child. Watching him learn to catch a wave at Rye Beach with Summer Sessions Surf Camp, grinning ear to ear as he ran out of the water, or heading off to UNH Hockey Camp to meet and be coached by the UNH hockey team—living a dream so many young athletes share—has been nothing short of magical.
The camaraderie, confidence, and joy he has gained from these experiences are immeasurable. He has built lasting friendships, developed valuable skills, and most importantly, grown into himself with a sense of pride and possibility.
I am forever grateful to Community Service of Newburyport for helping make this all possible. Your support has made a lasting impact on our lives, and I look forward to the day I can pay it forward.
A CSN Client – 2025
Dear Community Service of Newburyport.
Just a little note reaching out to thank you so very very much for sending the Market Basket gift cards! I actually could not make it right now without them. I use them for dog food, cleaning supplies, paper products, toiletries, and above all “Food”, the most important of them all… Every little bit helps.
I can’t thank you enough. Every time I get that little card in the mail, I thank heavens above and need all of you to know how appreciative I am for those cards. They truly are a blessing. I hope to one day pay it forward but I just needed to let you all know how grateful I am.
Sincerely.
CSN Client
Dear Patty,
Thank you so much for helping me in a time of need. It’s been a hard year. I so appreciate you. Thank you to the you people for the food every week. You’re always ready to step up and help out.
Thank you for all you do.
A CSN Client
Dear Community Service of NBPT,
I would like to thank you once again for your kindness and generosity. A Market Basket Gift Card is always a help when you are feeding a 15 and a 16 year old who eat like horses. I hope you are all well!
Kindest Regards,
A CSN Client
Thank you for helping me in my recent struggles! Your calm and patient voice and tone comforted me when I was embarrassed to ask for help.
Thank you for the delicious meals from St.Paul’s as well.
Sincerely,
A CSN Client – 2025
A HUGE “thank you!” to you and Community Service for helping me during a most trying time. You were so generous and understanding. I am so grateful. Birthday was great thanks to you. Also, thank you for my birthday wishes.
Love,
A CSN Client – 2025
Dear Community Staff,
This is a very small note to express a very big thank you. You all have helped me and my family. I can’t begin to describe all the ways you have had a positive impact on our lives from the pantry items to gift cards to most importantly the kindness, compassion and respect shown to us by the staff.
A CSN Client – 2025
Dear Pam (Gray, CSN Program Manager),
Thank you so much for helping to get my car fixed and back on the road again. I have many medical appointments and was without my car for two weeks. I am so grateful to be able to drive myself and not need to try to arrange public transportation now that my car is fixed. I cannot thank you enough for your kindness and generosity. It is so appreciated.
A CSN Client – 2024
Hi Pam,
I was overwhelmed by the gratitude expressed by the parents I spoke to regarding camperships for their child/children and wanted to share a conversation with one in particular.
The mom expressed that summer is difficult as she works fulltime and her child goes between her husband and her.
Having a camper opportunity for her child that is paid for is so extremely helpful. She profusely thanked us and said that this “made her day” and then said, “no, it made my summer.”
Sara A. Welch, social worker- 2023
Dear Pamela (Social Worker at Community Service),
A huge thank you to you and Community Service for helping me during a most trying time. You were so gracious and understanding. I am so grateful. Birthday was great thanks to you. Also, thank you for your birthday wishes.
A CSN Client – 2023
Dear Pam and Sarah, (Social Workers at Community Service),
I wanted to express my thanks and the appreciation I have for you both and your organization. The assistance you provided me and my children for their summer activities has helped us so much! My sons really enjoyed their 2 weeks of summer camp at St. John’s Prep and my daughter is about to begin her driver’s ed classes in order to get her permit. It would have been a struggle for me to cover these expenses on my own, so I am grateful for the opportunities they were able to have thanks to you. You are a great resource to our community and I feel lucky I found you! Thank you so much!
Thanks, John, Barbara – 2023
The Artists Playground
Remember how many of us donated money to Community Service of Newburyport a couple of weeks ago? It was so a few kids could go to the summer camp of their choice for free. Well, Joanne Hajjar won the 5th basket which held many gifts. I only remember a couple of the gifts, there were two iconic scenes painted by local professional artists.
Beautiful! Being an artist herself she appreciated the paintings. Joanne especially loved the generous gift cards from local restaurants (to the tune of about $500). We were all thrilled for her. One of our other students’ daughter-in-law won one of the other baskets.
This is exciting for all of us not to mention knowing our donations went to an incredibly worthy cause. Thank you to The Community Service of Newburyport & all the volunteers that are doing a terrific job serving our community.
Posted on Facebook June 23, 2023 by Artist Pat Lutz for one of her students winning a Campership Fest Raffle gift basket
Dear Pam and Community Service,
Thank you for your kindness, support and generosity. I promise to pay it forward. With gratitude,
CSN Client – 2023
Hi Pam,
Today a parent called me, returning my voicemail.I had called to see if she was interested in sending her children to camp again this summer. She called to inform me that she is currently living in NH and would not need camp for her children.
She thanked me for reaching out to her and said she wanted to share a “Huge heartfelt Thank You! ” to CSN for all they did for her children in assisting with summer camp in the past , which she said, “helped get them through the divorce.”
So nice to hear!!
Sara Welch, CSN Social Worker – 2023
Dear Ray (Pillidge, exec. dir.),
Thank you so much for your most generous gifts of $500 each for a total of $1000 to be used for our Food Program. This will help so much for us to continue to provide hot meals to our neighbors in need. We are blessed to have organizations like yours that recognized the need to reach out to assist us. Thank you again.
Jan Kolman, President/Society of St. Vincent de Paul – 2021
To the Community Service “Elves,”
Thank you so very much for your amazingly thoughtful, huge, generous, incredible and significant Christmas gifts to me and my three daughters. We don’t have much in our lives, except for one another, but your thoughtful assistance to our family this holiday season has allowed us some comfort and a welcome change!
We do not give enough thanks but we had to at least try. Please know that thanks to your kindness, caring, and charity, three little girls are on their way to having the coziest, most awesome and joyful, toy-filled, gift extravaganza, memorable Christmas! I find it very hard to bring myself to asking for help, but I do not regret for a second, reaching out.
Thank you so so so very much!
CSN Client – 2022