Update and Major Milestone
- Apr 22
- 3 min read
A Million Dollar Milestone & Spring Newsletter
Our 2026 Spring Newsletter reads a little like a love letter. The One By One Project is a labor of love for us, and this newsletter contains our biggest announcement to date!
On March 31st, we paid a utility bill for a single mom in Greater Boston whose son was in an accident. It was the 1,706th bill we have paid. This payment marked a BIG milestone. The One By One Project has officially paid over $1.0 million in urgent bills for Greater Boston Families. There were cheers, texts to our friends and family members, and no shortage of happy tears.
This milestone doesn’t belong to us alone. It belongs to our incredible local nonprofit partners who help us to support the most vulnerable in our neighborhoods, and to this remarkable community of supporters who continue to show up for us. Please read on to see how you all have helped us to care for our local community in these trying times.
The One By One Project-
Meeting Rising Demand
Total bills paid per year
Q1 of 2026 is already double Q1 of 2025!
It's going to be another record setting year.
A Snapshot of Impact in 2026-
Top Categories by the Dollars
Spotlight:
ONE Story from the Front Lines
When our partner Alexander Twilight Academy reached out to us about an urgent need for one of their students, there were only two days left to save an extraordinary opportunity.
Sal* had earned an invitation to a highly selective boarding school’s fly-in program. It was a visit designed to help talented BIPOC students explore independent schools and imagine new possibilities for their future. His mother, Fara*, a devoted single mom raising four children, had already said yes. The school had promised transportation for families without access to a car, including rentals for those within driving distance.
Then came the call: the funding was gone. No rental car. No way to get there.
ATA reached out to us, hoping there might still be a path forward. We quickly learned that we had to be on site to rent the car. We met Fara at a Boston car rental agency, put the keys in her hand, and wished her safe travels.
They made the trip. Sal shined.
Today, Sal is a junior at that same school on a full scholarship, finishing near the top of his class and in the running for valedictorian.
Sometimes life-changing moments don’t look dramatic at all. Sometimes they look like a mother gripping a set of car keys, and a son heading toward the future he earned.
Before we go...
There is a whiteboard in our office with the words “Keep Going” written across the top. It’s not always easy. But this small and mighty community makes it possible. Thank you for helping us to build and grow The One By One Project from the ground up. Because of your support, our two-person organization has raised and paid over $1.0M in bills since 2021, in partnership with some of the very best local non-profits.
We have never been prouder of doing the work of doing good.
Here’s to the next million dollars.
In Partnership and With Gratitude,
Pam and Steve
*names have been changed to protect partner privacy
Want to help support our work? Donate below.
100% of donated dollars are passed back into the Greater Boston community.
No donor dollars are used for overhead expenses.
