Church members visit new program, The Orion Project at Wellspring
UCC Norwell has been a long time partner of Wellspring Multi-Service Center in Hull, and now also in Weymouth, as they have grown. At the 2025 UCC Norwell Annual Meeting, our congregation voted to provide $20,000 to be expended by the Community Engagement Fund (CEF). CEF voted to use all $20,000 to support Wellspring’s newest initiative The Orion Project. CEF was established in connection with the 2010 Capital Campaign to engage the South Shore community and beyond in ministries that are created in association with members of our church. (At the 2026 Annual Meeting the congregation approved another $20,00 to be allocated by CEF this year.) Wellspring’s newest program, and CEF’s most recent ministry development, The Orion Project, helps young people of all abilities to develop new skills such as food preparation and refinishing furniture. Wellspring has opened a new area of the store in Hull which sells these items to the general public.
On Wednesday, April 28, Wellspring hosted community partners, including UCC Norwell, for a tour and to learn more about The Orion Project. Jim Ianiri, Janet and John Johnson, and Jean and Doug Holley represented our church at the open house prior to The Orion Project’s public opening the next day.
Jean Holley, UCC Norwell church member, and CEF representative said of the open house, “We are proud to be an ongoing community partner of Wellspring’s. The Orion Project’s collaborative and inclusive employment training and placement program aims to target the areas of food preparation and service, and those were both on full display today. The furniture and snacks were great!”
The Orion Project, and projects like it, are possible, in part, because of the generosity of our church community. Anyone who would like to see Wellspring’s work in action are encouraged to stop by either of the thrift shops in Weymouth or Hull. To learn more about Wellspring Multi-Service Center, visit their website. To learn more about CEF or get involved, visit the CEF webpage or reach out to co-chair Jim Ianiri.
