Community Services/Non-Profits near Reading, MA

“We were only there for a short time because my kids were going off to public schools but they just needed something to do to finish up their summer vacation. I’m very happy with how quickly my twins were welcomed and made a part of their class! The teachers were amazing! Very respectful, responsive and understanding. Definitely highly recommend their program! Thank you for all you do ?”

“Beautiful space showcasing local artists. Small venue is perfect after a lunch or between activities. Spend 20-30 minutes unless shopping stunning finely crafted pieces for sale. Finds include jewelry, wood works, toys and decor pieces in pottery and paintings.”

“I played a few shows here with one of my orchestras this summer and it was excellent! Street parking at night is super easy and the green room area is really nice.”

“Nice place for if you want to see horses and they also have therapeutic horse-riding sessions to but usually there is a horse outside if you like if you have kids that like to see horses”

“The gym itself has lots of features like a weight room, yoga room, sauna, pool, and locker rooms. The weight room is a little small. Usually have to wait for equipment during busy times. You must check the pool schedule before using the pool, because swim lessons and swim team take up the entire pool for a couple hours every day.This gym is safe for all. I am trans, and it has never been acknowledged, even in the locker rooms. I’ve never received stares in the weight room, and the other regulars are very nice.The staff here are really great. I’ve had a couple problems with my account and they’ve been nothing but kind and resourceful trying to help. They’re personable and friendly to their regulars. I came with a friend who had a medical emergency in the weight room, they were quick to help.The hours of operation are slim, closing at 4pm on the weekends, that being said they have the most flexible hours out of the ones my membership applies to.Between the hours of 2:30-5:30 on weekdays, the weight room is PACKED with young kids, ages 10-14. Although the gym has youth hours available, they aren’t enforced, and nothing about the safety or staffing of the weight room changes during them. They spend a long time sitting on machines they aren’t using on their phones, physically fight each other in the weight room, or even hurt themselves (I’ve had to save a very young kid after a dropping barbell on himself without a spotter). This gym is very unsafe for children who go alone, and the presence of unsupervised kids under the age of 14 is very awkward for the adults trying to get their workout in. It’s a matter of time before a kid severely injures themselves, they shouldn’t be allowed in there without adult supervision.”

“Nancy, from Paws of Wakefield, was so helpful when a stray cat in my neighborhood was wounded and sick. She was incredibly generous with her time and resources, helping out and working on a solution well into the evening. I would also like to thank her colleague, who dropped everything to fly down to my neighborhood in hopes of catching the injured cat, and the veterinarian, who stayed after hours to give her the care she needed. Paws of Wakefield is an incredible network of people who truly care. Thank you Nancy! Please consider donating to their cause, as this is just one of the incredible things they do for animals in our community.”

“The ABGC is a safe, fun, great place for kids to grow up alongside wonderful role models , wonderful staff, and so many of whom have been involved for many years. I have seen a major improvement in my kids social and emotional health from their experiences and relationships, and relationship building skills being discovered and built at the boys n girls club. They also are healthier from the regular swimming, exercising, and excitement of being with friends after school. They learn to cook, and learn all types of different things there. Anytime I walked around inside it was very clean considering all the traffic, they definitely have professionals deep cleaning regularly. I wish I had a place like ABGC in my town growing up. It's a gift to our community.”

“We've been going to Therapeutic Horse Riding since more than 6years to Ironstone Farm. They've the best therapists and the staff is very accommodating, understanding and flexible to our needs.”

“The teachers are fabulous. Prior to joining the Y I went to a boutique gym that was three times more expensive than the Y and yet the teachers did not match the teachers at the Y. One example, at that gym all teachers were screaming all class long to cover the very high volume of the music. It was an unbearable cacophony that left me mentally exhausted. It was far from rewarding. When I tried to ask them to speak less over the music (since we were imitating their body movements anyway) they seemed very offended. I noticed that at the Y none of the teachers are in the bad habit of screaming during class, they respect the music, and let their bodies teach us the Zumba steps. I am highly recommending the Y. My only regret is that I did not join sooner!”

“Great function hall. Very clean place with a full bar. 100+ guest. No stairs. Extra clean bathrooms. It has WiFi! People running it are very nice. Skyy Event Services did the music and digital booth. Great time!”

“Awesome place to work with and friendly, helpful employees. They do a lot of amazing work. Looks like a great place to work if I didn't already have a job I like.”

“Great place for amazing bargains. Now there is a rack of new items with tags still on them from original purchase. We have three Tuxedos size 40-42. Puma work out bag and plenty of athletic shorts for the whole family!”

“YMCA is precious present by the Lord in the Highest Heaven into the earth in the land of the living, Christian Family Unity walking in Green pastures along the clear healing water of life, lifting our heart soul and mind desires with Joy in the House of the Lord forever”

“I had an amazing time at the party. The staff were friendly, served our food and clean all the tables right away. The bar was okay. The only complaint is that we could hear the music playing from downstairs to the point you could feel the floor vibrating. Overall, we had a good experience.”

“Helped change and save my brother. Jay from Chelsea Roca is the man!!! Always helping with jobs and finding a way. Even after you pass the age limit they still seem to help. ?”

“I've gotten the CSA this year and last, and I love it. Employees are very friendly, produce is fresh and delicious, and farm store offerings are local but a bit pricey. They carry Iggy's bread which is awesome”

“We adopted our boy Cosmo (little white boy) as a companion for our older girl from BNR almost a year ago now, everything worked out amazingly in the end, he's become a beloved part of our family, and could never be removed.However, some important things to note about our experience:The 'cons' were:We were told he was a chihauhau mix with a 'chance of pit' everything at BNR said he was most likely chihuahua (ignoring the fact he was 6 lbs and underweight at 9 weeks lol). When I adopted him, his paperwork from Texas listed him as a Labrador mix, which was never mentioned, and was told he'd probably be max 35 lbs. (He's also technically not the puppy I applied for, same litter but different dog, not the end of the world, but something that stands out). I did a DNA test a couple months after adopting him, and he's definitely more Labrador than chihauhau, though only 50 lbs, so fortunately he stayed within our preferred sizeI was told all dogs were medicially checked over as they arrived in Massachusetts, he arrived the day before I was told I could pick him up. Upon picking him up, within our carride home, he was already exhibiting signs of respiratory distress, which within a week turned into severe pneumonia, however, the same pneumonia was also overlooked by our own vets, so I don't know how much I can fully fault the rescue for this. If anything this is a good reminder that if something doesn't seem right, it probably isn't and to get a second opinion (or a better vet)The pros of this shelter are:They are more than willing to work with you, as previously mentioned he was adopted to accompany his older sister. However, we are two hours from the rescue, and she has high stress around Strange humans, especially in strange environments. We ended up working out a way in which we could introduce the two safely at home, to save her unnecessary anxiety and a long car trip. They also do frequent check ins for the first few months, offer resources for ethical trainers, help target problems in early training, ect. Everyone you work with is extremely kind, and you can tell they care deeply for every dog.If you live closer to the rescue than we do, they also offer vouchers for free training courses and some veterinary care. To my knowledge some of the veterinary care is considered common practice in rescues, but I'm relatively certain most shelters don't offer free positive reinforcement training.They are extremely thorough, while it's a very nerve wracking process, the adoption process includes a guided tour around the house your new bud will live in, either in person or sent via videos, like in our case. This includes their main sleeping space, your yard, aby part of your house they'll have access to ect. They also make sure to talk with all household members regarding their interest in the new family member, this is also when they mentioned he may have pitbull in him (which may have been a good opportunity to say the Texas rescue they work with had him listed as a Labrador?)Overall, we love Cosmo, are so glad he's in our lives but his adoption definitely came with unnecessary surprises that absolutely should've been disclosed, especially with how thorough the adoption process was. However, BNR brought us a perfect fit for our family, no matter how he got here, and we are extremely grateful to them.The TLDR:-Was Misled about what kind of dog he was, despite having two conflicting answers on his paper work from Mass vs Texas-He had early signs of respiratory illness from pickup that turned to pneumonia within a week or two-They will work with your situation, as long as they believe you can provide a good home-A positive reinforcement shelter, offers training and training support-Extremely thorough adoption process and kind individuals”

“BILT, inc is a phenomenal company. The services they provide are dynamic and individualized and their staff are superb. I really appreciate all the hard work this team does.”

“Holly was very helpful and kind. I was tempted to just order everything I needed online, but going to the store was much more informative and ended up saving money!”

“Clean and organized! Very welcoming and helpfull staff! This pantry is like nothing I have ever seen. Thank you wakefield for this pantry and thank you to all the ppl involved! This has been a great help and is greatly appreciated! This place is a blessing!”

“I love love that we have a new YMCA.. I am proud to have been a member on and off for years and have fond memories of the old location but nothing beats these new facilities and the pool area.. This YMCA is a star component of the community in Lynn.”

“This company is mission driven in providing a safe environment where kids can grow in their social development skills while having fun. Kids can be kids in this environment and leave the troubles of home life out the door. The crew is absolutely amazing and understanding people.”

“Awesome YMCA, gymnastics center is our families most used spot. Great classes for my 2-year old, OPEN Gym is fantastic for rainy days and cold winter days. Our daughter held her 2nd birthday party there as well which was so easy for us and wonderful for all the kids! Highly recommend!”

“My experience with CACPA Has always been unbelievable, I went threw some financial hardship and was at the end of my breaking point, wasin the prossess of trying to move out of safety hazard conditions in my apt. Was Mentially & physically exhausted and my mental status was getting worse. As soon as I reached to CAPIC they emediatlly came right threw without hesitation. Soon to be in soo much better condition and almost fare my Famly will be able to come and visit, Have Family Dinners again back at HOME!!!!! A place I really can call home due to the help of CAPIC, I can feel my mental & phicial health getting better already, thank you CAPIC!”