‘Made in Dorchester’ gift boxes available for the holidays

The Mather School Parent Council teamed up with a group of Dorchester-based product companies and businesses to offer the first ‘Made in Dorchester’ boxes for the holidays. The sales help local businesses and help the Dorchester school raise money for field trips and the like. (Courtesy photo)

Several Dorchester-based product vendors and the Mather School Parent Council have teamed up to offer a holiday gift box that helps to support local businesses and the school at the same time.

Jane Donaghey, president of the Mather Parent Council, said they were trying to figure out a way to raise money for field trips and extras at the Meetinghouse Hill school, and at the same time somehow support local businesses and vendors still struggling from the effects of COVID-19.

The remedy was ‘Made in Dorchester’ gift boxes, which are now on sale online at three different price points. Orders must be made through Dec. 15.

“We were trying to come up with fundraising ideas because our group has been grappling with COVID-19 over the past year,” said Donaghey. “We wanted to be able to have funding available for things like field trips and wanted a creative way to do that. We decided to try to contact several local Dorchester-made product companies and get people to know what’s made in Dorchester and help them to know what to buy that’s local. We’ve located all these great vendors and businesses, so people don’t have to do the legwork of finding out who these great local vendors are.”

The featured vendors include:

•Top Shelf Cookies
•Triple Decker Candle Co.
•Goodnow Farms Chocolate featuring Boston Harbor Distillery spirits.
•Vietnamese Coffee roasted by Reign Drink Lab
•Dot Bee Co.
•home.stead bakery
•Jesse Haley Gifts
•Renovation Husbands

“We think it’s a great mix of food and created things from the neighborhood,” she said. “The vendors thought it was a great idea and we’ve gotten a great response. It’s been a rush but everyone responded quickly. We already have a large order from a business in the area and we opened up a webpage to take orders from the community.”

The three price points include the On the Dot Box ($45); the Dot-to-Dot Box ($70) and the Pride of Dorchester Box ($100). Donaghey said they will be assembling the boxes at home.stead café in Fields Corner, and those that ordered will get a date and time to pick up their boxes in person so there isn’t any fretting over shipping or late deliveries.

“I think it’s a good fundraiser and a way to help a good group of kids,” she said. “We are the first publicly-funded school in the nation. At the same time, it might help people come to know these Dorchester products, and hopefully they like them and see all the good that’s happening here.”

Orders will be taken through Dec. 15 online here. For questions, e-mail madeindorchester@gmail.com.

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