Anyone who has ever had anything to do with the Brookline Emergency Food Pantry knows Jim Margolis.  His dedication and compassion have touched the lives of so many in Brookline.  By his efforts and those of many volunteers at the Pantry, individuals and families in need of a helping hand have been fed, time and time again.

I’ve got Bob Shuman on the phone, co-owner with his wife, Holly, of Zaftig’s, and his answers to my questions are coming as quick as the servers bring out the complimentary bagel chips and dip at one of his restaurants—and as kindly and enthusiastically. Which is to say, very.

Nestled in between Game Stop video games and the Second Time Around women’s clothing boutique, sits Berry Freeze, a unique—even among the burgeoning crop of such outlets—frozen yogurt shop that fits perfectly in the eclectic Coolidge Corner business district.

As a Brookline resident for a handful of years and a frequenter of Coolidge Corner well before that, I have and still highly appreciate that business district’s movie house—now bona fide art house—abbreviated endearingly as The Coolidge.

Change seems to be a constant at Party Favors.  The  two main, Beacon Street-facing windows of Coolidge Corner’s celebration-supplier, gift store and bakery, are constantly changing, cycling through each year’s holiday and party themes. The year opens with Mardi Gras. A birthday-related theme, Easter, Passover, and a general Spring window come next. The displays turn to graduation in May, then a summer theme and Independence Day. A luau continues the fair-weather spirit. Then the autumn displays appear - Halloween, Thanksgiving, and an overarching Fall window are followed by a Christmas, Hannukah, and Winter display.

When I recently spoke with Abe Faber about his small business—Brookline’s Clear Flour Bread—and its involvement in the community, his first comments echoed what I have heard from other local merchants participating in the Feed Brookline Drive. Participating in the Drive was “a no-brainer,” - a way to help people in need locally

Winter is the season of giving – as soon as the earth freezes over and the sun retreats and everything stops sprouting, humans do their best to pick up the slack. If you’re looking for a way to give back this year (or for something inspiring to warm you up during these cold months), check out Brookline High School’s Food Justice Group, a team committed to spreading knowledge and resources, and to facilitating both generosity and self-reliance, all year long.

“I always loved puzzles and games,” David Leschinsky, owner of Coolidge Corner’s board game and mindbender store Eureka!, said in between advising and chatting with customers eager to purchase items for friends and loved ones.

When the last bell rings on weekday afternoons at Brookline High School, most students slam their books shut. They stuff their backpacks full of the things and then haul them off to a music lesson, or to sports practice, or to an after-school job. Twenty BHS students, though, congregate instead in an empty classroom and resume planning how to give books away. Who are these teenagers? Why are they doing this? Meet the Brookline Literacy Partnership, one of the community’s most impressive – and youngest – social justice groups.

Within the first few minutes of my recent conversation with Jim Solomon, the chef-owner of Brookline's The Fireplace restaurant, it is clear he is tightly connected to the community, a very compassionate individual, and—yes—still a hands-on proprietor.