Mark’s Pizzeria donates $5k of toys to Pirate Toy Fund

Good News Notes: “Owner of Mark’s Pizzeria, Mark Crane, went to Walmart Wednesday to buy $5,000 worth of toys. The toys will be donated to the Pirate Toy fund just in time for Christmas. Employees of Mark’s also came out to help pick out toys for those in need this holiday season. “We had such…

More than 200 food scrap drop-off sites encourage composting

Good News Notes: “…Food scrap drop-off sites were cut during the pandemic because of funding issues, but now there are more sites than before the COVID-19 crisis. Bridget Anderson, DSNY’s deputy commissioner of the Bureau of Recycling and Sustainability, said when compostable material is in landfills not decomposed properly, it releases harmful toxins in the…

Li-Cycle to expand US battery recycling ‘Hub’ by 40% and provide LG with nickel for the next decade

Good News Notes: “To meet increasing market demand, lithium-ion battery resource recovery specialists Li-Cycle has announced plans to increase the processing capacity of an upcoming New York facility by 40%. In addition to expanding its US battery recycling footprint, Li-Cycle has also entered into a letter of intent with LG to create a closed-loop battery ecosystem. Li-Cycle…

Young Woman With ALS Creates Nonprofit for People Like Her

Good News Notes: “When Leah Stavenhagen was 27, she was living in Paris and traveling through Europe. But an amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) diagnosis forced her to give up her job as a consultant with Ernst & Young and dashed her dreams of continuing to work abroad. At the time, she seemed healthy, but she started having…

Mayor Wu Signs Ordinance To Divest City Funds From the Fossil Fuel Industry

Good News Notes: “At her first bill signing, Mayor Michelle Wu today signed an ordinance requiring the City of Boston to divest from fossil fuel, tobacco, and private prison industries by the end of 2025. The ordinance, co-sponsored by then-Councilor Wu, Councilor Edwards and Councilor O’Malley, was unanimously approved by the Boston City Council last…

Hero Veterans Tackle Food Insecurity and Feed Fellow Vets

Good News Notes: “Former Marine Corps cook Dionisio Cucuta, Jr. has served 2.7 million meals since March 30, 2020. At the beginning of the pandemic, the retired chef and disabled combat veteran partnered with the food rescue organization Table to Table, feeding 3,000 families — including 250-300 veterans — through his Table to Table Tuesdays program…

Soles4Souls Launches Program to Provide Shoes for All Homeless Kids

Good News Notes: “Homelessness. For more than 1.5 million children in the U.S. it’s about more than not having a roof over their head. It can mean not having a pair of clean, comfortable shoes to get them to school. Enter Soles4Souls’ new 4EveryKid initiative, the nonprofit’s most ambitious project since it launched 15 years…

Albany Police therapy dog saves teen girl in crisis

Good News Notes: “Charlie, the Goldendoodle puppy, has come a long way in his three months on the Albany Police force. Though he’s still in training to be a therapy dog, his friendly and snuggly attitude was the perfect solution Tuesday afternoon. Officers got the call around 2:15 p.m. that a 14-year-old girl was on…