July 15, 2024 newsletter

 

Good morning everyone! We had a lot of emergencies to deal with this week, which made me even more aware of just how blessed all of us are who have a roof over our heads, food in the fridge, and a steady income. I'm sure most of you have heard about the fire in Ayer that left 4 apartments full of people homeless. As usual, our wonderful community is rising to the challenge and is working to help them recover. But I heard this remark: “Well, why didn't they have renter's insurance?” Yikes! I don't know about all of you, but when I was younger, struggling to put food on the table, and living in a small apartment, if I had any disposable income, it would have gone towards food or a larger apartment, not to renter's insurance. Very few people think about that, and I'm sure that most of us figure that the worst will never happen to us.

We had many other needs that cropped up this week, and I think that most of them have been settled, or are in the hands of people who can help. As an example, a person in our community needs long-term help with getting their trash to the transfer station. It only took a few days to find someone who was more than willing to help them out each week. It's a beautiful thing when people develop new friendships! Speaking of, we are still looking for someone who needs help with reading (not ESL) for our available tutor to work with. Maybe a school-aged person you know who could use some encouragement over the summer? An adult who needs help with remedial reading skills? Summer? Fall? Contact me, and we'll talk!

One last item of note: we have maybe one more slot left for people who want to help out on Saturday morning at the pantry, maybe once or twice a month. Please email me, and we can discuss what it entails. I know I already said that it's very physical and can be quite fast-paced, with some lifting involved!

If you can shop for us this week, we would be grateful for anything from our complete list. This is the season of vacations, so I know many of you and not available for shopping. Whenever you can...it's extremely appreciated! Even a few cans help. 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.

Please stay safe in this brutal weather, and please direct people to our community buildings that are open for cooling if they don't know about them, especially the Library and the Police Station! Love you all!