When county schools closed March 13, Jenny Schwartz quickly became a liaison of sorts between schools and community partners, with representatives from about 15 groups who have been meeting regularly via Zoom to gain traction on the myriad challenges surrounding food insecurity.
The workshop will share information, best practices and tools to help organizations re-envision how they utilize the skills and time of volunteers as well as provide examples of systems that support effective volunteer management.
Those dropping off in person will enjoy some seasonal cheer, as the school’s May pole will be wrapped with spring colors and school musicians will provide live music during the entire food drive.
The panel will share information about the variety of services and support they are providing and the ways in which businesses can prepare and apply for the available resource pools.
Berkshire County has been gearing up to support her more vulnerable citizens who have lost work, can’t leave their homes or are otherwise struggling with the vast new restrictions on everyday life.
A growing sea of similar stories that swell amid these trying times - when kids are out of school, parents are out of work, and the infrastructure of community that so many rely upon in order to survive feels tenuous at best.
In Great Barrington, town officials put out a statement yesterday, and at Monday's selectboard meeting, town health agent Rebecca Jurczyk briefed officials on measures the town is taking to prepare for the virus.
People of all descriptions shop at the Pantry and some don’t speak English. The Pantry has translators who can help. When a new client shows up, a volunteer will escort them around and talk about the availability of different items.
The program reaches underserved populations throughout western Massachusetts that don’t have access to healthy foods, including families, seniors and children.
"The likelihood of getting the flu virus — and dying from it — is far more likely than getting novel coronavirus at this time,” says Dr. Everett Lamm of Community Health Programs.
The book is ultimately a manifesto that turns a regressive notion about the causes of domestic violence on its head by illustrating domestic violence as a public health problem with solutions.
