After a divisive presidential election in 2016 created feelings of worry and uncertainty for some Lynnfield residents, especially minorities in town, two preschool moms who “didn’t know how to feel” started hosting coffee chats at Whole Foods for people to have a safe space to talk about how they felt. With this, coupled with the founding members’ desire to promote love and unity around town, Lynnfield for Love began.
According to the organization’s president, Darlene Kumar, at the time, “the town wasn’t really saying anything, like how some towns and some school districts actually put out statements saying, ‘We’re going to be fine.’
“You can have a beautiful conversation over a cup of coffee and find that you actually have more in common with someone than you think,” Kumar said.
She said that she is originally from New Orleans, and, as a result, loves hosting coffee socials, The coffee for the socials comes from Café Du Monde.
Sadaf Hoda Weisenfeld is one of the group’s newer members. She had just moved to Lynnfield with her family during the COVID-19 pandemic to put roots down and raise her daughter.
“I was looking to make some like-minded friendships,” Weisenfeld said. “And I started attending those meetings and their goal and message really resonated with me.”
Weisenfeld said the organization’s goal is to weave diversity and equity into the community’s culture.
“And we want to help build the community that we want to raise our children in,” Weisenfeld said.
During COVID, Weisenfeld said that they wrote a lot of uplifting messages and cards, and dropped them in neighbors’ mailboxes to keep people’s spirits up and let them know that they were not alone during those difficult times.
Kumar said that one of the organization’s big tenets is focusing on anti-racism. To do this, its members hosted virtual Zoom meetings with professionals on anti-racism, participated in anti-racism trainings, partnered with the Lynnfield Library to curate books that highlighted other countries that residents are from, and hosted Black Lives Matter rallies in 2020 after the murder of George Floyd.
Weisenfeld said that they also give people more information about Juneteenth, highlight books by Black authors at the group’s book club, and host a yearly multicultural celebration with a showcase of tables, each representing a country that a Lynnfield resident is from. The organization hopes to do more in the future.
“Just talking to those neighbors and learning about how life is in their countries and how they grew up and learning about differences is just so educational and amazing,” Weisenfeld said.
Kumar said the group wants to do more anti-racism work in the future, whether it’s through its book clubs, meetings, service projects, or presentations with guest speakers.
“We’re not ashamed to say anti-racism,” Kumar said. “Sometimes it makes people uncomfortable. But that’s how you dismantle it.”
Another big tenet is focusing on what issues surrounding teenagers in foster care, which Kumar says are often overlooked. To do this, the group’s members get together to gather gift cards and write encouraging notes for the teens.
Aside from educating others, the group also works to spread love and positivity to vulnerable groups. The organization’s first-ever event was in 2017 called “One Love,” held at the Meeting House, where people were able to shuffle between different “stations” of tables to write notes to Syrian refugees, firefighters, veterans, and many others.
Weisenfeld said that with the organization’s increased following and social-media presence, she feels that people now know that “there’s a place for us in Lynnfield.”
Kumar encourages people who are interested in the group’s work to join.
“Lynnfield for Love is a community group,” Kumar said. “We don’t charge any kind of dues, and everyone is welcome to all of our events. They’re free, and they’re family friendly.”
