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.