I will never cease to be amazed by how people in our community respond to requests for help! We had three responses last week to our question about recycling. Three lovely people who all volunteered to do recycling runs for our various cardboard, plastic containers, and plastic film, so that we wouldn't have to chuck it all in the dumpster. I am so happy about that! As I explained last week, we are working towards being as close to zero-waste as an organization like ours can possibly be. While it might be better if the foods we buy didn't have all the packaging in the first place, that's just not the reality, especially when we try to buy in bulk. Thank you to all of you who help with this project: Margaret, Laurie, John, Alison, and Rich!
We had a wonderful visit from our friends at the Ayer office of National Grid this past week. Mich, Sean, and Justin all came and helped us sort, stock, and pack food, and also helped with breaking down lots of stored cardboard boxes for recycling and with cleaning up the dining room and kitchen. We always love to see them coming each month and appreciate their help.
As our Town officials, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Nashoba Associated Boards of Health, and Community Health Connections continue to work towards placing a medical van in the Town of Ayer, I came across a letter from March 2024 that explains the background of how we have gotten to our current level of crisis with opioid use disorder. Working with numbers from just a few years ago, the CDC reported that 107,941 people died from overdose in 2022, in spite of escalating criminalization. The author called for more investment in evidence-based treatments and harm reduction, which are two areas that we fully support at SSK. And those are two of the many things we're hoping the van will work towards as well. We fully support our local law enforcement officers in doing their job, and we fully support seeking help for people who are struggling with addiction...it's not an either/or situation.
So now you're all caught up! We had another extremely busy pantry morning, and we really need your help in restocking. Any number of items helps. If you can shop for us this week, we are in great need of these items: small boxes of Jiffy mix (corn muffin or biscuit mix), boxed mac + cheese, canned pasta (like spaghettios), large containers of apple juice, cereal, and 1 or 2 lb bags of rice (white or brown). Any other food items from our full list that you might find on sale are also always gratefully received! We'll be at the pantry on Wednesday from 10 to noon, Friday from 4 to 5:30, and Saturday from 9 to noon for drop-offs. And the bin is always available at Shop n' Save if those times don't suit. Please leave a note in the bag with your name so we know whom to thank!
Hope you are enjoying the milder weather! I love you all
Image: Canva
Comments
Post a Comment
Thank you for your comment. All comments are moderated.