Big Update and Newsletter
Fall Newsletter and a Record Breaker
Hello Friends,
As we enjoy the beauty of fall, we are reflecting on our summer at The One By One Project. It was a record-breaker.
From June through August, we paid a staggering 188 bills for Greater Boston families, totaling $135,000 in direct support. That’s more bills than we paid during our entire first year of operation, at the peak of the pandemic.
This summer brought both good and bad news. The good? We had the opportunity to help many under-resourced students head off to school with essentials such as personal care items and dorm supplies. The bad? SNAP cuts, rising food and gas prices, and escalating housing and utility costs have continued to put relentless financial pressure on our community. In short, it’s been tough out there. Please read on to learn more.
The One By One Project’s Record-Setting Summer
(June-August ‘26)
Top Categories: Where the Dollars Went This Summer
Summer 2026 exceeded our entire first year of peak pandemic operations!
2026 Giving at a Glance
(Year to Date)
Spotlight:
ONE Story from the Front Lines
$500 can be a game changer.
Dee* is a survivor of domestic violence who was preparing to move from a domestic violence shelter with her young child into her own apartment through our partner’s rapid re-housing program. However, Dee lacked basic household items to start over. She secured mattresses through RAFT, and our partner referred her to a furniture bank. However, the earliest furniture appointment was more than a month away. Dee couldn’t wait weeks for the basics to care for her young child in their new home. These needs fell outside our partner’s mission, and other agencies couldn't help quickly enough.
Within hours of receiving our partner’s request, The One By One Project provided a $500 retail gift card so Dee could purchase cookware, dishes, towels, bedding, and other necessities for her new home and her young child.
Household needs like Dee’s aren't complicated or a luxury. They are essential.
We fill urgent gaps like Dee’s nearly every day.
Before we go...
We recently came across this quote:
“Hope is more the consequence of action than its cause.”
At The One By One Project, we are reminded that paying an urgent bill to avert a crisis gives us the opportunity, in partnership with you all, to provide hope. We have never been prouder to stand on the side of hope. Thank you all for everything you do to help us make it happen.
In Partnership and With Gratitude,
Pam and Steve
*names have been changed to protect partner privacy
