From the second I walked into Melinda Mahar’s classroom at Weymouth High School, its walls and podium plastered with colorful quotes about dignity and equality, I knew that far more than World History was being taught in this space. Melinda herself radiated warmth and good will, her smile easy and generous.

Many of us on the South Shore have heard of Holly Hill Farm, the only certified organic farm in these parts, and hopefully visited the farm stand or purchased the farm’s delicious produce at the Cohasset and Scituate Farmers Markets. But perhaps fewer people know that the farm is providing opportunities for kids and youth every day via a massive educational programming effort that extends far beyond the South Shore.

There is no planning when a child needs to be removed from a potentially dangerous living situation. Frequently, children arrive in foster placements with nothing but the clothes on their back. If they are “lucky,” they may have a black garbage bag with whatever the case worker who picked them up was able to grab on the way out the door. Here is how two West Newbury women are helping to change that.

In the 1970s, as Broadway directors like Tom Moore were thrilling audiences by putting a convertible on stage in Grease, Zoe Bradford and Jordie Saucerman, two young midwestern women, headed East to realize their own dreams of bringing imaginative live theater to the public. On a $50 budget, they produced their first show, A Midsummer’s Night Dream, in a church basement in Weymouth.

It's hard not to get excited (and hungry) when you listen to Irene Li talk about Mei Mei, the restaurant she co-owns with her brother Andrew and her sister, Margaret. I got a real “joy hit” as she explained the siblings’ commitment to using sustainable, locally-sourced food and treating employees fairly. Irene was generous to talk with me some more about how she and her sibs are changing the way Bostonians think about the food we eat and who is making it.

Even if you are flat out just trying to get dinner on the table and the kids dressed appropriately (anyone else have a child who is unwilling to wear a winter coat to school even when it’s 7 degrees outside?), hopefully just reading about the cool things these people are doing will bring you joy.