by Pamela Loring

Sometimes it seems that things go wrong at the worst possible time.

*      A Hingham elementary school teacher is already working a second job to pay her hospitalized child's medical bills when her husband loses his job.

*       A South Shore visiting nurse goes to a client's home in Weymouth and finds an empty refrigerator on a day that the food pantries are closed.

*      A terminally ill woman falls behind on her rent after losing her job because of her failing health.

*      In Quincy, a woman and her young daughter lack money for a security deposit on a new apartment after fleeing an abusive husband/father.

These are local stories about friends of friends, neighbors, people living just down the street.

Sure, social service agencies are here to help, but oftentimes there's a gap between applying for aid and the time that aid arrives. Where can you go in the meantime?

Fortunately, there is Womanade. Founded in 2004 by a group of four women from Hingham and Hull who felt fortunate in their lives and wanted to find a way to give back, Womanade is a small, grass roots-style non-profit that is modeled on a group of the same name based in Washington, D.C. The groups' goals are identical: share their good fortune with those less fortunate, and do so while avoiding meetings, paperwork, and most importantly, operational expenses.

"We all sort of have a passion in our hearts," said Leisa Setlin, one of the group's founders. "When the idea came together, we knew -- it's an honor for us to be doing this, to make some difference in peoples' lives. Every time you get a request, it makes you appreciate your life so much more. You realize how life just can just turn on a dime. We can't sit and judge it. It could happen to anybody. Whether it's someone dying or getting sick, there's such a huge need. You wouldn't believe the amount of need here in Hingham alone."

The majority of funds are raised through social gatherings where donations are requested. "Women are busy and money is tight - $35 is an amount many people can afford," Setlin said. "Many fundraisers cost $50 to $150 to attend here on the South Shore. We want to keep our fundraisers affordable enough to attend."

"When we started out, we would have two cocktail parties and two coffees. The costs came out of our pockets," said Setlin. "As we got established, different companies would choose us as their Christmas charity, as do various groups, like a group at the Glastonbury Abbey, and a book group in Cohasset. Now we encourage people to put together their own coffees, where one of our members will attend to explain Womanade."

Womanade is not a social service agency, explained Setlin. Instead it's a place for many local agencies to turn to for help filling in the gaps. "We're there just to do an immediate relief. There's no red tape. If someone's going to lose their electricity or heat, they need it now. We try to get it taken care of immediately."

"We find a lot of mothers whose husband has left and they have no backup. They don't have food, heat, electricity." Womanade provides assistance to pay for critical expenses such as a doctor's visit, prescription, monthly utility bill, groceries or clothing. "We need to know the name of the person in order to pay their bill or purchase a gift card for them, but we respect people's privacy completely," Setlin stressed.

Usually within 24 hours of the request, Womanade pays the bill, or gives gift cards. The money never goes directly to the person or family. "Because we're small, we try to keep the average donation to around $300," Setlin added.

Local school nurses, VNAs, and social service agencies help Womanade identify people in need. Vinny Harte, executive director of Wellspring Multi-Service Center in Hull, explains, "We do case management and get the whole story to make sure that we're using resources efficiently, and we approach Womanade with specific cases. Many times, we can match each other's dollars and have twice the impact. They are a very collaborative group, and the nicest group of women. You feel like you're talking to a friend. They make the process very easy and very friendly."

"They are a tremendous group. The word I use for them all the time is "pure", because they get nothing out of it. Every dollar that goes to Womanade goes right to a woman in need. It's the purest mission that I know of," said Harte.

In addition to attending coffees hosted by others, the group holds their main fundraiser each year during the holidays.

Oh, and with Womanade's help, the elementary school teacher received $150 in Stop & Shop gift cards and $150 in Kohl's gift cards; the terminally ill woman's rent was paid; the mother and daughter received a security deposit; and, the woman with no food received $100 in Stop & Shop gift cards - a small spattering of examples of the hundreds of people they've helped since they sat down to lunch four years ago and had a great idea.

*According to the Washington Womenade website, there are at least 38 local Womenade chapters across the United States, including a handful in Massachusetts. Other groups are based in Boston, Plymouth, New Bedford, and Andover. For more information, or to find out how to start your own local Womenade chapter, go to: http://www.washingtonwomenade.org/index.htm.