To the editor:

I received my U.S. Treasury stimulus check this morning and I intend to use it to provide support to those caught up in the economic crisis. For a large portion of our community, there are families whose lives have been turned upside-down through no fault of their own. We are fortunate to have good social support organizations, but they are already seeing double and triple the number of families. With the prospect that this crisis may go on for months, it can only get worse, and the rest of us need to support our neighbors, our friends, our service people. While families may be able to pay April bills and perhaps May’s rent, many have no way to keep going.

The most effective thing for our government to do would have been to give more to those in need and none to those like me who don’t need it. I am going to do my part to rectify this situation by my actions and donate my stimulus check to support food, housing and medical support groups. Let’s do what the government should have done and direct these funds to help out in a difficult situation. If there is a silver lining, it may be how a community can come together. This is what community is about.

Some of the social support groups helping out in southern Berkshire are:

• The People’s Pantry in Great Barrington, the Lee Food Pantry, Sheffield Food Assistance and the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts — double and triple the recipients while at the same time donated food from restaurants has dried up;
• Construct, emergency housing and grants to support rent;
• Multicultural BRIDGE in Lee for community support; and
• Meal programs including Berkshire South Community Center and the Guthrie Center.

Fred Clark
Housatonic