Message From Executive Director
Welcome! I’m Pam Washek, founder and executive director of Neighbor Brigade. In 2002, as a 36 year old wife and mother of three young girls, I was diagnosed with cancer. Life as I knew it quickly came to a screeching halt. I was placed in an aggressive inpatient chemotherapy program with daily radiation treatments. Major surgery followed to remove the cancer, and my prognosis remained a painful uncertainty for me and my family for several months. During this time, an amazing group of friends and neighbors pulled together and instantly put in place daily meals and rides for my children. At the same time, my friend Jean, who was also in the midst of cancer treatment, was experiencing the same kind of outpouring from people in town. We marveled at the generosity, especially from neighbors we barely knew! They were truly angels.
It occurred to us that there are millions of people diagnosed with cancer every year, and this is just one of the many crises that strike families on a daily basis, throwing their lives into sudden chaos. So in 2003, Jean and I decided to solidify this infrastructure of care and create the Wayland Angel Food Network in our town of Wayland, Mass. As services expanded to include errands, homework help and more, we decided to change the name to Wayland Angels. Within months, word spread to other communities, and several volunteer networks began to emerge in neighboring communities.
When Jean succumbed to her illness in 2006, I was determined to extend the Angel network even further and formed Neighbor Brigade. Today, Neighbor Brigade Chapters, manned by over 2,400 volunteers (or “angels” as some Chapters refer to them) are helping families in crisis. This includes the original Wayland Angels (Wayland Neighbor Brigade) which currently boasts over 400 volunteers who have cooked and delivered over a thousand meals to neighbors in need.
In today’s world where families often are dispersed and neighbors left disconnected by hectic work and family schedules, Neighbor Brigade creates a ready and able safety net of support within communities to ensure no neighbor has to suffer through a tragic event without the day-to-day help they need to get back on their feet. We hope you’ll spend a few moments looking through our site to learn more about how you can participate in our cause as a Chapter Leader, volunteer, recipient or donor.
Together through Neighbor Brigade, we can build stronger, more caring communities and provide a much needed lifeline for our neighbors in crisis.
Pam