An idea that was born at a kitchen table in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1948 has grown into a worldwide organization called TOPS (Take Off Pounds Sensibly).  Esther S. Manz founded TOPS with the help of two local homemakers, and these ladies’ ideas turned into an international organization in 1955.

Today TOPS boasts a membership of 180,000 in 10,000 chapters, of which TOPS of Gloucester has been in this number since April 1983. Louise Craig, the longest-serving Gloucester member, also belonged to two other chapters which closed before joining the Gloucester group. “I first joined TOPS in 1980 and have been a member ever since.”  

Recently Gloucester TOPS held a healthy food tasting event, something the members do two or three times a year. Tasty dishes, all holding to the TOPS flexible guidelines for meal plans which emphasize, “You control calories while eating real food that you make at home or order in restaurants,” were made and served. It was...