Bread Needed at the Food Pantry

The food pantry is in need of bread. If you are able to donate bread to the center, it would be very much appreciated. In the next few weeks we may be losing our number 1 supplier of bread and then we will not be able to give bread out to everyone who needs it. Even limiting it to signed up clients may not be an option in the weeks to come. Any non-perishable foods is welcome, but right now our bread supply is very low. Call us at 413-863-9549 if you are able to assist us. Thank you in advance!

Credit and Debit Cards

The Franklin Area Survival Center's thrift store is now accepting credit and debit cards! Our minimum purchase is $5.00 for use of the cards. We accept Mastercard, Visa, Diners Club and Discover! It took us a while, but we are now all set up and operating!

We hope you will stop by and check out all the new clothes, housewares and furniture we have to offer. Remember we will pick up your larger items that you wish to donate or if you have a very large amount of clothing (must be clean and free of rips and stains)! We will pick up estates, as well.  Keep us in mind, we are only a phone call away--413-863-9549 and ask for Jamie!

Center has loaded up their racks with clothing!

FASC has loaded up their coat racks with spring and summer coats. We will be adding more and more spring and summer items throughout the next few weeks! Stop in and check us out. We have the lowest prices in the Franklin County area!

Reminder

The Franklin Area Survival Center will be closed on Monday, February 20th in observance of President's Day. We will reopen on Tuesday at 10:00 a.m.

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Franklin Area Survival Center will be closed Monday, February 20th

The thrift store and pantry will be closed on Monday, February 20, 2012 in observance of President's Day. Please make sure if you need food for the long weekend that you stop in before the pantry closes at 1:30 p.m. on Friday the 17th!  The thrift store will be open on Saturday the 18th, but no food will be available. Take care and have a great weekend!

Candace Lynde and Susan Howard newest members to the FASC Board of Directors

Candace Lynde returned as an at-large member of the board of directors of the Franklin Area Survival Center a couple of months ago.  She had been a board member a few years ago, but had had to leave due to family needs out of the area. However, Candace missed being on the board and asked if she could return.   Of course, we couldn't say no! She recently took the post of Secretary (giving Barbara Alfange a break), which she held during her last tenure.

Susan Howard, a volunteer in the pantry, has also joined the board of directors. She hails from Deerfield. She is active in the community and is a great asset in our food pantry.  She believes in our mission to help feed those in our community that need assistance. We know she will be a great asset to our board as well!

Welcome Candace and Susan!

Myryah Daehn and David Turner-New Employees at FASC

David Turner joined the Franklin Area Survival Center team recently as assistant to the site supervisor. David is a Turners Falls resident and has blended in nicely with the center family. 

Myryah Daehn has been hired as a part-time cashier.  She will be working on Monday and Tuesday and covering for vacations and sick days. She will also be working in the sorting room as needed. 

Stop by and say hello to both of our new employees!

Closed Monday, January 2, 2012

The Franklin Area Survival Center will be closed on Monday, January 2, 2012, in observance of the Federal Holiday celebrating New Years Day. The thrift store and food pantry will reopen on Tuesday, 10:00 a.m.. Happy New Year everyone!

Boy Scout Drive Saturday, November 19th

Our heartfelt thank go out to the boy scouts, cub scouts and youth groups who helped with the annual boy scout food drive in Greenfield.  What a wonderful job they did. They collected 3,405 lb of food! A tremendous amount of work was entailed in completing this drive and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts!

A big thank you to Russ Kimball of Greenfield, the guiding force of the boy scout drive every year. You are wonderful Russ!

Holiday Closings

Our holiday schedule is as follows:

Thanksgiving:

Food pantry:
closing Tuesday at 1:30 p.m., November 22 and reopening Monday, November 28th at 10 a.m.
Thrift store:
only closed Thanksgiving day, open rest of the week

Christmas:

Food pantry and thrift store will be closed, Monday, December 26th-reopening Tuesday, December 27th

New Years:

Food pantry and thrift store will be closed, Monday, January 2-reopening Tuesday, January 3rd

Any questions, please call us at 863-9549!

We will be closed this Friday in Honor of our Veterans!

The Franklin Area Survival Center will be closed to honor our veterans on Veteran's Day this Friday (November 11).  We will reopen on Saturday November 12 at 10:00 a.m. We encourage you to go out and spend some time enjoying the parades and events honoring those who serve our country. Because of our veterans we are able to enjoy the freedoms that we enjoy today. Take the time to thank a veteran when you see them. God Bless our veterans and God Bless America.

Time to do your Thanksgiving and Christmas shopping!

 We have Thanksgiving decorations.  We have wonderful Christmas items. Anything that you can imagine that you would like in your home as the holiday season arrives, we have it!  Stop by and check out our store, it sure is looking like Christmas is on the way!

Survival Closed this next long weekend

The Franklin Area Survival Center (including the thrift store) will be closed this next weekend to allow for us to set up our Christmas area for the re-opening on Tuesday. Please plan accordingly.

Clare Baker of Turners Falls Wins Raffle at Franklin County Fair

Clare Baker is the grandprize winner of the $500 jackpot! Clare received her prize at the Franklin Area Survival Center early Monday morning (Sept. 9).  She was thrilled, because "I have never won anything"! Well Clare, you sure start big! In the above picture, Faith Rockwood, President of the Board of Directors, hands Clare her big prize.

Win $500 at the Franklin County Fair September 8-11

We invite you to join us at the Franklin County Fair in Greenfield, MA.  We will be raffling off $500 donated to us for the raffle by a supporter of the Franklin Area Surival Center.  We will be in the Dole Building and we hope you will stop by, check out our scrapbooks as we are celebrating our 30th year serving the Franklin County area.  We will board members and volunteers manning the booth straight through the time the buildings are open.  We also will be selling a few items that came into the center as donations, so that you can see the quality of items that we have in our thrift store in Turners Falls next to our food pantry.  A few smaller items will be included in the raffle as well, so if you don't win the big money, you may win a crockpot or ???? Hope to see you there!

Madeline Murray Moves On!

Madeline Murray, our trusted cashier has left the center. She has gotten a new job and has decided to try something new in her life. We will all miss her, but wish her well in her new endeavors! We hope she will stop by and visit us every now and then. Good luck Madeline!

Check out the great stuff we have at the center!

We have a beautiful dark wood hutch, end tables, coffee tables, collectibles, couches, chairs, bureaus, baby items, bed linens, curtains, wedding gowns, formal outfits, shoes, sandals, baskets, electronics, glassware, books, tapes, DVDs, Cassette tapes, CDs; clothing for children, teens, adults, plus size (both men and women), and babies, and so much more.  Please stop by our thrift store.  It is open to everyone to come in and pick up some great buys and help support our food pantry! We have our annual summer sale going on till September 16th, so nows the time to get some even greater buys on summer clothing items (for that cruise this winter! or winter vacation in a nice sunny location).

The thrift store is open Monday through Saturday 10-5.  If you are in need of our food pantry services, the pantry is open Monday through Friday 10 - 1:30. 

If you have furniture or large items that you wish to donate, contact our site supervisor Jamie Symmes at 863-9549. 

Jamie Symmes hired as New Site Supervisor

The Franklin Area Survival Center has a new Site Supervisor, Jamie Symmes. Jamie was hired a while back as assistant Site Supervisor, but when Ed Peramba left us suddenly Jamie applied for his job. Jamie took over the reins officially this last Monday. We hope you will stop in and shop and say hi.

Les Chadwick who came back to assist while we looked for a new supervisor will remain on staff as a call in since he is officially a retired man now. Thanks Les for helping us out, we appreciate it.

Jamie has jumped in with both feet and running. We have some great furniture in the store, household items and clothing. Stop in and shop!

Accepting applications for a new Site Supervisor

If you think you have what it takes to be our site supervirsor, I highly recommend that you stop into the center and pick up an application, complete it and return it as soon as possible.
The following is the job description for the job:

· Complete pick ups of donated foods from Food Bank, vendors and private donators in a timely and business-like manner
· Complete pick up of donated items (other than food) when necessary
· Maintain storage locker of donated items and supplies
· Oversee any construction at facility site
· Must have a valid driver’s license and must report to the president any change in status immediately
· Must be able to lift and carry up to 75+ lb
· Must be able to work with diverse customers/clients with respect and compassion
· Must be able to drive a box truck: medically certified or able to be medically certified to drive box truck, pass DMV driving test, before driving truck
· Dry and wet mopping, wash windows, sweep sidewalks and parking lot
· Empty bins of donated items to their proper locations
· Clean and place acceptable items for sale in thrift store
· Works under the direction of the Site Supervisor/President, Board of Directors
· Will maintain all policies of the Board of Directors of the Franklin Area Survival Center
· Light supervision of staff and volunteers, directly oversee the assistant site supervisor
· Must be able to pass CORI check
· Able to work mornings and/or afternoons/some holidays, some Saturdays (food drives, fundraising events, company events, etc)
· Able to work independently, but also work well with a team
· Any other duties as requested by Site Supervisor/Board of Directors

If you think you have the above qualifications, please apply for the position. Accepting applications until we find the right person.

Ed Peramba leaves Franklin Area Survival Center

Ed Peramba came to work as assistant to our site supervisor, Del Parsons, in November 2009. A few months later Del retired and Ed moved up to site supervisor. Ed recently left us to try out some new adventures. We wish him and his wife, Pam, the best of luck in the future.

Keep July 9 free for our Open House to celebrate our 30th Anniversary!

On July 9th the Franklin Area Survival Center will be celebrating! We are in our 30th year and we are going to have some fun. We will be having an open house beginning at 11:00 a.m. State Senator Stan Rosenberg will be appearing at 1:00 p.m. The center will unveil a special honor thanking our volunteers of 5 years or more. WHAI Radio will be onsite with their remote talking with people and playing some great music from 11 to 1. There will be games for the kids, and a 50/50 raffle. Hotdogs and soda will be available for sale. Handouts for everyone! Stop by and meet some of our board of directors. We look forward to see you at the very important event. Our thrift store will remain open for your shopping pleasure as it helps support our food pantry. The parking lot will be blocked off, but there is parking on the street!

WANTED: Members for our Board of Directors

The Franklin Area Survival Center's board of directors is looking for a few good members. We meet about 7-8 times a year at most because of the winter weather and a couple of months off during the summer. Most meetings are held on Wednesday evenings. We do have a Christmas party and an annual picnic. We may also attend some other events as well, but these are infrequent. Of course, we welcome you as a volunteer at the center as well, its up to you!

If you are interested in giving some time to a worthy cause, please stop by our thrift store and pick up an application to become a member. We'd love to have you!

Pat Karkut

Pat Karkut has resigned from the board of directors of the Franklin Area Survival Center. She is deeply involved in her community and is going to spend more time doing that and traveling with her family. She will stay on as a volunteer at the intake desk in our food pantry. We wish her luck in her endeavors and glad that she will be remaining as a volunteer!

Pat Karkut leaves Board of Directors

Pat Karkut has left the board of directors of the Franklin Area Survival Center. She has been a great member of the board for the past few years. She will remain as a volunteer at our intake desk in the food pantry. Pat is very active in her town and travels a lot with her husband. We wish her the best of luck in her personal life and are grateful she is remaining as a volunteer!

Richard I. Trenholm

This has been a rough month or so for the Franklin Area Survival Center for once again we have lost a member of our family. Richard Trenholm was a dedicated volunteer at the center, working at our food pantry intake desk. He so enjoyed helping people and was great with our clients. Richard dedicated much his life since returning home after WWII to charity organizations, and we had the priviledge of having him as a member of the board of directors for many years. He will be missed by all of us here at the Franklin Area Survival Center.

The Board of Directors send our prayers to Richard's family and friends during this difficult time. We know the Lord has a wonderful man standing by his side. Rest in Peace Richard.

30th Anniversary

Monday was the start of our 30th year serving the needy of Franklin County. We have big plans for an open house which is set for July 9th. Stan Rosenberg, our great state senator, will be attending. Stan has been a supporter of the Franklin Area Survival Center forever. We look forward to his visit. WHAI will be broadcasting live from the center from 11-2 that day. There is going to be hot dogs for sale, free popcorn, raffles and the store will be open, too! So, put July 9th in your appointment book and we will see you there. We hope to have coverage from the local television networks, too. And many other surprises as well.

On Sunday, God took home an angel, Mary Tirrell.

Mary Jane Bray Tirrell was a past member of the Franklin Area Survival Center's Board of Directors and a long time volunteer at the food pantry and intake desk. Mary spent many days talking with clients and other volunteers. She was well liked and respected. She only stopped volunteering after her health and hearing started to fail. At that time, she felt it was best to move on. However, she still came in now and then to visit and shop in the store. We will miss you Mary, but we know you are now in your eternal home (and with your daughter Ethel once more). God bless you and rest in peace.

President's Day

The Franklin Area Survival Center (both the food pantry and thrift store) will be closed on Monday, President's Day, February 21, 2011. We hope you enjoy the day with your family. We will reopen on Tuesday, February 22, at 10:00 a.m.

Franklin Area Survival Center Closed due to Massive Storm

The Franklin Area Survival Center remained open today even though we were hit by the first half of this massive snowstorm hitting much of the U.S. We stayed open to allow people with emergency circumstances to get food from the food pantry. However, we will be closed on Wednesday, February 2, as the second half and most powerful piece of this storm hits our area. We are hoping to be reopening on Thursday at 10:00 a.m., but it will depend on the weather/road conditions. We will announce on WHAI-FM radio (98.3) and BEAR (95.3) if we are closed on Thursday. With another storm potentially hitting again on Saturday, we advise you to keep a listen to these radio stations and our website for announcements. This blog automatically feeds into our website: www.franklinareasurvivalcenter.org, so announcements should be on there quickly after posted on here. Stay safe and warm and see you after the storm moves on...

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

The Board of Directors, Staff and Volunteers would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. We look forward to serving you again in the new year!

Closings for the holiday

Just wanted you to know that the Franklin Area Survival Center will be closing early or closing on some days during the next two weeks.

The food pantry will be open:
December 20-24- 10:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. - normal hours

The Thrift Store will be open:
December 20-23- 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m
December 24 - 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Both the pantry and thrift store will be closed Saturday, Christmas Day (December 25)

Regular hours of the pantry and thrift store December 27-31. Both will be closed on New Years Day (January 1, 2011)

Any questions, please call 863-9549

Times we accept donations has changed

We have been receiving a lot of donations the last few months, for which we are very grateful. However, we have decided that we need time to process them so our hallway does not get cluttered and the items are able to get out on the floor quicker. So we are only accepting donations between 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., Monday through Saturday. We are sorry if this is an inconvenience, but we are really need the extra hours to process the items donated. We go through all our donations to make sure they are in clean, working and sellable condition. If you have items that you would like us to pick up, please do not hesitate to contact Ed at 863-9549 to set up a pick up time. We also deliver furniture items that you purchase at the store for a low delivery fee. Remember, each time you shop at our store, you are helping fund the food pantry! Thank you!

Christmas has arrived at the Franklin Area Survival Center

Christmas has arrived at the Franklin Area Survival Center. Stop in and save on your decoration, tree trimming and wrapping supplies!

We will be closed the Columbus Day weekend!

The Franklin Area Survival Center will be closed the entire three-day Columbus Day weekend (October 9, 10, 11). We will be making renovations and creating our "Christmas" area. The store will reopen on Tuesday the 12th at 10:00 a.m. We encourage you to come and see our holiday items for sale. There will be decorations, trees, ceramic items, kitchen delights, and more. We also will have wonderful clothing items too, including holidays dresses, tops and sweaters. Don't forget to mark it on you calender! Hope to see you there!

Fill the Belly Bus

Today was the 5th annual Fill the Belly Bus fundraiser held at the Greenfield Common. Community Action's Hunger Task Force, in which we are a member, did a wonderful job getting the word out and contacting businesses to collect food to benefit our food pantry, the Center for Self-Reliance (Community Action's food pantries in Greenfield, and the Franklin County Community Meals Program. Nearly 6000 pounds of food was collected. Thank you everybody for your donations--we all appreciate your continued support!

Fall and Winter items have arrived!

We hope you will stop in and take advantage of purchasing some great fall and winter items. We have jackets, sleepers, pj's, sweaters, hats, and more!

Don't miss out on the tremendous abundance of great used furniture as well. We have great affordable prices on entertainment centers, couches, chairs, dining room sets, hutches, and more!

We have plenty of craft items, baby items, and books!

Stop in soon. We are open Monday - Saturday, 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Hope to see you soon!

Donations of food from Wormtown Festival

The wonderful people who attend the Wormtown Festival in Greenfield, MA twice a year continue to support the Franklin County Community Meals Program as well as the Franklin Area Survival Center. Over the Memorial Day weekend they came through once again with 700 lb of food for the Community Meals Program and 1200 lb for the Franklin Area Survival Center. I know I can speak for Amy Clarke, Director of the Community Meals Program, when I send out a very big heartfelt thank you for their continued support! THANK YOU all very much!

Center reopening on Saturday, May 29th!

The Franklin Area Survival Center has been closed the past few days. The storm that came through Western Massachusetts and damaged a lot of homes in Franklin County was the cause of our closure. We have had no electrical power. Power was regained late this afternoon, so we will reopen the thrift store tomorrow. The food pantry will reopen on Tuesday.

Aubuchon Hardware Annual Fundraiser

The Aubuchon Hardware store of Turners Falls, MA held their Annual Fundraiser to Benefit the Franklin Area Survival Center On April 30th & May 1st and it was a BIG SUCCESS!!! A couple hundred pounds of food were donated and nearly $400.00 was donated!

Local Kids enjoyed the bouncy house, balloons, popcorn, and a coloring contest! The Montague K-9 Police officer was there with his beautiful German shepherd, whom the kids adored. Representatives from Scotts Lawn and Garden products, Benjamin Moore Paints, Nutro Pet Foods and Quikrete products were on hand giving out advice and free samples.
The Classic Car Show was a very big hit! Steve, the manager of the store had several of his own vehicles there.

The Franklin Area Survival Center's Board of Directors and clients wish to extend their thanks to Aubuchon Hardware especially the staff of Steve's Aubuchons of Turners Falls for their continuing support!

Ongoing Renovations to the Survival Center

The Franklin Area Survival Center has been undergoing some much needed renovations to the center--some because of safety issues and others to give us more room for growth. After Christmas we emptied the Christmas room and moved all of our housewares in. All of our glasses, bakeware, silverware, lamps...are now in there. This past holiday weekend (President's Day) we moved our cashiers over in front of the office. It allows the cashiers full viewing range of the entire store. With the added space within the store, we have been able to enlarge our furniture area and add some additional space for clothes and linens. Linens are now on shelving near the dressing room. The booknook was moved up to the front of the store where the cashiers use to be, so that customers would have better lighting. So far, we have heard very positive responses to the changes with a couple of negative comments (you can't always please everyone!). The changes really open up the space for the thrift store allowing for better cleaning and more space for larger items. Now that everyone can see our items better they have been flying out of the store. We are now putting out new items every day, so stop in and check out our new look and of course to shop!

We are also in the process of updating our electical throughout the building. Due to age, it has become a fire hazard and needed to be replaced ASAP. Next Saturday, February 27, will be the final round of work, so the store will be closed since the power to the building will be off for several hours resulting in no heat.

A few weeks ago, I discovered a black electical wire in the office, followed it to a outlet where it was plugged in. The power pack was extremely hot, I unplugged it. Another board member and I searched to find out what this cord went to but could not find it. Even 15 minutes later, the plug was still hot. So, needless to say, I did not replug the cord. I called the electrician and he checked it out and found out that the cord was to our security camera in the front hallway. The system was very old and its life had run out. It had heated up so bad that the lense had fused into the plastic of the camera! So, while the electrical is being done, our security system has been upgraded, too. Since we are open longer hours now and our cashiers work alone, we need a system that is working correctly.

Thank you for being patient these last few months, but the light is shining through the tunnel and we are almost done!

Two Very Well-Liked and Devoted Board Members Retire

Irmarie Jones and Everett Hatch resigned from the Board of Directors of the Franklin Area Survival Center at the board's annual meeting in October. Everett will remain as a volunteer in the food pantry, along with his lovely wife Janice. Irmarie is cutting back on her volunteering to spend more time at home with her family. She remains devoted to the Survival Center and will continue to support us on an as needed basis. We will miss both on the board and thank them from the bottom of our hearts for devoting their time and energy to the Franklin Area Survival Center for so many years. We love you and will miss you!

At the annual meeting of the board, Dawn Lang was voted in as executive committee member and Barbara Alfange has taken on the position of Secretary. All other board members are continuing on in their positions.

Looking For A Few Good Board Members

The Board of Directors of the Franklin Area Survival Center is looking for a few good members. We have a couple of openings and we are looking for a people in the Franklin County area that are interested in our mission to feed the hungry in our area. The Center has been operating since 1981. As you know, we operate a food pantry. We finance it mainly through our thrift store. The board oversees these operations and sets policy. If you are interested in serving, you may complete an application, which is available at the thrift store cashier's desk. If you have questions, you may call Faith Rockwood at 413-863-9549 and leave a message. I will return your call as soon as possible (most likely in the evening because I work during the day). Board members are volunteers, therefore this is not a paid position. I look forward to hearing from you.

Center Closing for Labor Day Weekend

The Franklin Area Survival Center's thrift store will be closed this Saturday (September 5) through Labor Day (September 7), reopening on Tuesday at 10:00 a.m. We are closing so we can ready our new Christmas room as well as replace summer clothing with fall items. We hope you will stop in and check out the Christmas room (we have so much we have to start early!) and pick up some new clothes! Need more information, contact the center at 863-9549.

Our food pantry will be closed on Monday, Labor Day, and will reopen on Tuesday as well. Keep the long weekend in mind, if you need food you will need to get into the pantry before Friday at 1:15 to get it! You can pick up breads and sweets until 1:30.

Have a great Labor Day weekend with your family!

Fill the Belly Bus a great Success

The Hunger Task Force of Franklin County held their annual Fill the Belly Bus Food Drive this past Friday, August 14th. The Hunger Task Force is made up of members from the following agencies: The Salvation Army, Community Action, The Center for Self-Reliance (operates the food pantry in Greenfield), The Franklin County Community Meals Program and the Franklin Area Survival Center. This group meets almost every month to work on the hunger issues facing our area. They are on top of it when someone is in need. The food drive was a great success. I do not have the numbers yet, but the food pantry received many, many boxes of food items. We are so grateful to the community and local businesses for their continued support. On behalf of our clients, we thank everyone who contributed to this great event.

Annual Summer/New Christmas Room

The annual summer sale will begin on Monday, August 17th at the Franklin Area Survival Center's thrift store. All spring and summer clothing will be on sale for half price until Friday, September 4th. We will close on that day at 5:00 p.m. and reopen on Tuesday, September 8th with the opening of our Christmas room. We have been storing Christmas items since just after Christmas last year. We have beautiful items and they will all be on display in their own room this year. Usually Christmas items go out into the main store and because we hae so much, it takes a lot of room away from our everyday items. This year, we will be able to have a full store of furniture, household items, electronics and more, as well as a beautiful assortment of Christmas items. Be sure to come to our sale, you will get great spring and summer items for half price! Please return on September 8th for the opening of our Christmas room-I am sure you will not be disappointed! Remember, items are added everyday to our store, so come in often so you don't miss out on that special piece you know you just have to have! Look forward to seeing you!

FASC Gets Brand New Washer and Dryer

A private donator who has supported the Franklin Area Survival Center for several years has donated a brand new front loading washer and dryer for use in the sorting room. These are top-of--the-line LG steamers! They are extra large. The center receives donations of sheets, comforters and pillow cases, formals, wedding gowns, bathing suits, etc., that need a bit of washing for us to be able to put them on the floor. Until now, they were a loss to us, but now that we have the washer and dryer we will be able to save them. I would like to thank the private donator for her continued support. Not only did she donate the washer and dryer, but also the funds needed for plumbing, adding the dryer vent and electrical work. Thank you so much!

FASC welcomes vist from Amherst Survival Center Staff

The Franklin Area Survival Center welcomed a visit from two associates from the Amherst Survival Center, Kara and Sandhya, on Saturday, July 11th. Faith Rockwood, president of the board of directors escorted Kara and Sandhya through the building. Amherst Survival Center is in the midst of looking into better ways of operating their center and associates are traveling to similiar operations in the area to see how they do their business. This weekend, Kara and Sandhya visited ours. Faith answered their questions and is looking forward to visiting their food pantry soon! Thanks for stopping by Kara and Sandhya it was great meeting you!

FASC Annual Recognition/Appreciation Picnic

The Franklin Area Survival Center will close at 1:30 p.m., on Thursday, June 18th to allow staff and volunteers to attend our annual appreciation/recognition picnic at Northfield Mountain's recreation center. Each year the board of directors hold a picnic to thank the employees and volunteers for their dedication. The Survival Center is grateful to all our volunteers who dedicate many hours a week helping for feed the hungry of Franklin County by working at our food pantry. Without their assistance we could not help as many families and people would go hungry.

We also appreciate the dedication of our employees: Del Parsons, Site Supervisor; Les Chadwick, Van Driver, Monique Richardson, Sorting Room Coordinator; Madeline Murray. Mary Cavanaugh and Miranda Boyle, our thrift store cashiers.

Thank you all very much!

Minor Construction at the Survival Center

The Franklin Area Survival Center has been undergoing some minor construction. The center door has been widened to include a 2 foot additional add-on door. An overhang has also been added to allow for coverage while unloading or loading during inclement weather. We also added two large secured storage areas next to the building. This will allow us to store the overflow items for the store, or the items that have been sold and we are holding them for pick up. Everything has been painted to match the existing outside. It looks great! Thanks for your patience during this time.

Aubuchon's of Turners Falls Holds Fundraiser for FASC

On May 15th (Fri), 16th (Sat) and 17th (Sun), the Turners Falls Aubuchon's once again held a benefit weekend in which part of their sales was donated to us. On the 15th and 16th, members of the board of directors and volunteers of the Franklin Area Survival Center cooked hot dogs and hamburgers on the grill for Aubuchon's customers. Aubuchon's had representatives of the companies who sell their goods at Aubuchons handing out give-aways. There was a bounce house for the local kids. The reps came from all over New England. Aubuchon's is located on Avenue A in the Food City Mall and has contributed to the Franklin Area Survival Center and other local charities. FASC highly recommends that you shop at Aubuchon's for your everyday hardware needs. FASC thanks their employees, the reps of the companies, and local residents for making this weekend a wonderful success. Thanks so much!

Annual Postal Drive is Extremely Successful!

The annual postal drive around the country happened on May 9th. The local postal workers worked hard to help the local food pantries and non-profits by picking up food at their stops. Once again, they brought in a lot of great non-perishables. The Franklin Area Survival Center received 2,622 pounds of food from the Greenfield Post Office. The Turners Falls/Montague Post Offices are still bringing in donations, but as of today, we have received 3, 352 pounds! We are so thankful to the workers and the residents for helping us each year. We look forward to this drive every year, and each year they do not let us down. Thanks so much everyone for your help! We are sure our clients thank you, too!

Bursting At the Seams

Until further notice the center will not be accepting winter clothing items. We have no more room to store them until the fall. So please, if you have winter items you want to donate, please hold them until September.

Our Thrift Store is bursting at the seams with loads of clothes, furniture (we even have a wonderful electric organ!), toys and books! Please come in and help us thin down a bit!

The Board of Directors Welcomes Dawn Lang!

Dawn Lang of Greenfield was voted onto the Board of Directors of the Franklin Area Survival Center at their meeting on April 15th.

Dawn is married to Ken Lang owner of Ken's Tax Prep. They have two daughters, Erika and Tara. Dawn works as a bus monitor for the Greenfield Public Schools and previously worked as a crossing guard in Greenfield. She operated her own daycare while her children were growing up, so she could be home for them. A while back, Dawn and her family sold their home and moved back into the family home to help care for her mother.

Dawn has been volunteering at the center for the last three years. She dedicates almost every Saturday helping at the thrift store and works an evening during the week helping in the sorting room getting linens ready for the store. As with most who volunteer, the center has become part of her life and she wanted to become more involved so she applied to become a board member.

If you have a chance, stop by and meet Dawn on any Saturday at the thrift store---and while there you may find something that catches your eye!

Franklin Area Survival Center has New Website!

The Franklin Area Survival Center has a new Website located at http://www.franklinareasurvivalcenter.org/. Thanks to RileyInteractive ( if you would like to check their website out it is www.rileyinteractive.com) we are up and running. We are still getting things on the site but it is open and ready for viewing. Keep an eye out for more pictures and updated news of what is happening at the center. If you have any questions just contact us through the website or through this blog. Let us know what you think!

Aubuchon's of Turners Falls Donates to FASC

Stephen Valeski, Manager of Abuchon Hardware in Turners Falls, selected the Franklin Area Survival Center as the recipient of the February 2009 Community Appreciation weekend. On March 28th, Stephen presented me with a check for $250!

Thanks Stephen for thinking of us and thank you Aubuchons!

Spring arrives at the Franklin Area Survival Center

We closed the center today to clean out the winter items and put in all new spring items. We have lots of brand new clothes with their tags! There are wonderful skirts, dresses, women's dress suits, women's formals (great for upcoming proms!). All of these clothes are being sold at low prices. There are suits for men, great dress slacks, shirts and polos. In the next couple of days we will be putting out all the spring shoes and purses, too.

We have some great furniture pieces for sale as well. There are dining room tables, desks, computer desks, couches, and even an organ!

Don't forget to stop in and check out our card round-about--cards are only 20 cents each--where today other than our store can you get a deal like that???

We have great records (LP), cassettes, movie DVD's, and CD's.

We have candles, candleholders, vases, dishes, pots and pans. We have microwaves, irons, George Foreman grills, coffee pots, mugs, and trinkets galore.

Remember, each purchase you make helps us continue to operate our food pantry. The store helps purchase food and to pay the bills. Please spread the word about the gem in Turners Falls.

We are open 6 days a week (M-Sa), 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

One tip: if you think you want it, don't go home to think about it, because it will probably be sold by the time you get back!

Barbara Alfange joins our Board

Barbara Alfange of Leverett who has volunteered for over 10 years was voted onto the board of directors. Barbara has worked in a couple of different capacities at the Center: first at the food pantry counter, then as an intake worker and this last year she has taken on sharing the oversight of the intake desk with Everett Hatch.

Barbara brings to the board experience with administrative work having most recently been in charge of the student employment program and the work-study operation at Smith College in Northampton. She has retired now, but was employed last in the president's office at Lehigh University. Prior to that she was employed in the treasurer's office at Cornell University where she was responsible for medical insurance claims and workmen's compensation.

Barbara has volunteered on the Town of Leverett's Conservation Commission and Town Library Board. She only resigned so that she could form a Friends of the Library organization because libraries in general are feeling financial hardship and Leverett's Library is experiencing some of that and she wanted to help.

Barbara's heart is definitely in the right place and we appreciate the many years of volunteering that she has given us and will continue to do both as co-leader at the intake desk as well as our new member of the board of directors. Welcome Barbara!

Thank You TFHS Alumni

The Turners Falls High School Alumni group, "Lending a Helping Hand" sponsored a food drive that benefited the Franklin Area Survival Center. Nancy Holmes is there leader. They placed collection boxes at the Turners Falls Water Department, Turners Falls Fire Station, Seth & Eva's at 115 Avenue A, the food pantry at our location, Scotty's Store at 106 High Street, and at the 2nd Street Baking Co. at 69 Second Street. They made up tri-fold flyers and placed them in strategic spots all around the county. They even requested monetary donations if the donator could not get to the sites to donate food. They collected from February 1st to 14th. This wonderful group raised $155.00 and collected 262 pounds of food. We thank them from the bottom of our hearts!

Website in the Works

We are currently working with RileyInteractive on setting up a brand new website. John Riley, the owner and creator of RileyInteractive has many years of experience in setting up, hosting and designing websites. I am sure he will get us up in running in the next couple of months. As soon as everything is ready I will place our location on this blog, so keep an eye on us. The board of directors of the Franklin Area Survival Center extend our thanks to John and RileyInteractive for assisting us with our web design needs.

Thank Yous!

We would like to thank everyone who has donated to the Franklin Area Survival Center in the past year for without you we could not continue to do what we do.

We especially want to thank the many people who on their own decided to do food drives in their neighborhoods to benefit us. These spur of the moment food drives helped us at times when we were low on food and the numbers of people needed help were rising. We may not know all of your names, but thank you from the bottom of our hearts.


We had some wonderful donators during the holiday season including but not limited to the following: United Church of Bernardston's Sunday school children (Bernardston); Sunday school children from St. James Episcopal Church (teacher: Marie Paquette) and the First United Methodist Church (teacher: Robin Howe) both of Greenfield; St. Andrews Episcopal (Turners Falls); Kurt and Lacey Jobst; Western Mass Food Bank (Hatfield); the Greenfield Elk's Emblem Club; First Congregational Church (Greenfield); Our Lady of Peace (Turners Falls); Franklin County District Attorney's (Greenfield staff) office; Great Falls Middle School (Turners Falls); Franklin County Tech School (Turners Falls); Girard Family Farm; telephone operators from Verizon LiveSource in Gardner, MA; Antonio's Pizza of Bernardston and Greenfield (annual food drive); Franklin County Hunger Task Force; Bank of America--Greenfield; Greenfield Savings Bank, Bank of Western Massachusetts; school children of Greenfield Center School; local farmers who donated produce and many private donators of food and monetary donations. Thank you very much!!!!

Our thanks go out to the two families who donated brand new stand up freezers to the Center. When the call went out that we needed new freezers the response was wonderful. We now have more room and can accomodate much more frozen food in the pantry.

To all our staff and volunteers, we thank you for your dedication to helping us complete our mission of feeding the needy of Franklin County.

For those who are not named, your generosity is not forgotten. We thank you and know that we can count on you to continue to be there when we need you!

Board of Directors, Franklin Area Survival Center

The loss of Faithful Volunteers

In the last couple of months we have lost some of our most dedicated volunteers.

We first lost Valda Stowe who worked as our Friday cashier for over 20 years. She was a wonderful woman whom the clients absolutely adored. As a friend you could have no one better. No matter what the weather, Val could be depended on being there if we needed her. Her warm smile and sparkling eyes are gone from us, but God sure has gotten himself a beautiful angel! We will miss you, Val.

Within a fews days of the loss of Val we received the news that Gladys Stasinopolis had passed on. Gladys worked at the center for many years and in many capacities. She was gone before I came on the board of directors, but I have heard nothing but good about Gladys. Many times I heard about her dedication and love for the center. Her friends said that when she needed to slow down a bit, It was very hard for Gladys to give up coming to the center--she so enjoyed her time with us. I wish I had been able to meet her, perhaps I will someday. Thank you Gladys for your dedication.

The loss of Louis Hood was devastating, too. Lou donated three days a week to the center for 24 years. When he retired he wanted something to do and so began his journey with the center. Lou helped everywhere: emptying out the donation bins to their correct spots, unloading food deliveries, stacking the bread shelves and even breaking down cardboard boxes for recycling. He did whatever was asked of him. When Lou learned of his illness it didn't stop him from his volunteering. He continued to come right up until a couple weeks before he left us. I can imagine him on the other side volunteering wherever God has a place for him. We will all miss him.

Until we see you again some day. Faith E. Rockwood, President, Board of Directors

Annual Scouting for Food brings Tons of Food to the Center

On November 15th the boy scouts in Greenfield, Turners Falls and Erving dropped off bags at residences in their towns. The group included the following scouts: Boy Scout troops 5, 7 and 10, Cub Scout pack 3, 52 and 367, Girl Scout troop 79. This year they were assisted by the Greenfield High School Student Council; Greenfield High School Key Club and YMCA Leader Club. On November 22nd they went back and picked up the bags which had donations of non-perishable foods in them. They collected throughout the day and then crated the food into specific bins (i.e., canned corn, canned beans, etc.) for pick up by the Franklin Area Survival Center truck. The results were unbelieveable. The Greenfield/Turners groups raised 4, 572 lb and the Erving groups raised 913 lb. (they also donated 1826 lb to the Orange food pantry). We then received an additional 100 lb from a group of Girl Scouts who brought food in the following Monday. We thank the scouts for their continuing support for the Franklin Area Survival Center. These youngsters show that there are plenty of them who care about the needy in their community. We thank them from the bottom of our hearts.

The Center Sees Tremendous Increase in Need for Food

Our food pantry has seen a steady increase as the economy falls deeper and deeper. As people are losing their jobs, parents are beginning to feel the pain of not having enough money to feed their children or pay their rent/mortgage. We have seen an increase in singles need our service as well. Times are tough and if you are in need of food and are from the Franklin County area, please come to the pantry for assistance. If you are able to help, please send a check, stop by and donate food. or even organize a food drive. We appreciate any assistance you can give. We thank you in advance for your donation.

Greenfield Savings Bank Donates Computers to Center

Greenfield Savings Bank of Greenfield, MA, donated to the Franklin Area Survival Center two computers. We thank them for their generosity!

The computers will be set up and used in the food pantry once past data is entered. Our main office has been on computer for quite a few years now, but it has been hard trying to get the food pantry up onto the network. Within the next few weeks I will work at getting the system set up for data entry.

We have a wonderful employee/volunteer, Mary Cavanaugh, who has said she will donate her time. Mary, a former board member has done a wonderful job as food distribution supervisor and we thank her for her devotion to the center.

New Permanent Hours for the Thirft Store

Great news! The Franklin Area Surival Center's thirft store will change its hours to permanent ones. We have in the past closed earlier during the winter months. However, since the thrift store's sales are vital to us to accomodate the increasing needs of the food pantry, we have decided to set permanent longer hours. As of September 2, 2008, the hours will be 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Saturday. We will accept donations throughout these hours as well. The store can also accept donations of food for the pantry. If you have large items to donate, please call us to arrange a pick-up or drop off (to be sure that we can accept your item at that time). Our telephone number is 413-863-9549.

Please No After Hour Dumping

We have had a few people dropping items off after hours. We appreciate your donations, but please do not leave them after hours. We have a problem with feral cats in the area. They spray the items and they are then useless to us and we have to pay to dispose of them. The higher costs of disposing of these items takes away from our food budget! Please, we have very needy people relying on us to provide them with food, so please bring your good, sellable, clean donations to us during our open hours.

Illegal dumping has happened as well. Large items have been dropped off when we are closed. Most of the larger items are not sellable. They are dirty, ripped, water logged and smelly. Our security cameras recently caught two women and a man in a mini-van leaving off a large couch in this condition. We had to pay to have it removed and the cost to do so was the equivalent of 270 pounds of food. A past boardmember who is now an employee took a snap shot of the offender off the security camera and placed it in the window. Many of our loyal neighbors and customers are not happy with the people who did this, and we agree with them. Dumping is occurring at several other non-profits as well, and at businesses who have drop boxes to benefit the needy, the costs of removing the items is rising for them, too. We have our property posted asking people not to leave things after hours and for police to take notice. Please adhere to this policy. If costs to remove these items keep going up, I am afraid that we will have to raise prices in our thrift store to accomodate the costs and we do not want to have to do that with the economy the way it is. We have not raised our prices since May of 2006 accept for books and cards. So if you know someone, or if you are one who has dumped off these bad items, please stop doing it.

The Board of Directors thank you in advance for understanding about this. And we thank you for your support throughout the years.

FASC No longer selling on Ebay

The Franklin Area Survival Center has discontinued selling special items on Ebay. We are now selling them only in our thrift store located at 96 Fourth Street or via local auction houses/antique dealers. Please stop by and check out our wonderful store and help support our food pantry. Thank you!

Reasonable prices at our Thrift Store!

All of our items are donated to the Survival Center by great Franklin County residents and businesses because they know our thrift store supports our main mission, our food pantry.

If you are looking for some great furniture at reasonable prices then come and check out the Franklin Area Survival Center's thrift store. We have bureaus, desks, end tables, chairs, recliners, bedroom sets, and much much more. All prices are reasonable!

There is also household items such as pots and pans, dishes, cutlery, knick knacks, vases, glasses, small household appliances (microwaves, coffee pots, toaster ovens, irons and more) and lamps. You never know what we might have, because our turn over is daily. We receive items and get them out into the store as soon as possible.

Our clothes are top of the line. We have expanded to include bras and slips, nightgowns and pajamas. Every now and then we get donations of brand new items and we strive to get them inspected and on the floor as soon as possible. As usual we have a large supply of almost new shoes and boots for men, women and children.

We have tablecloths, curtains, drapes, sheet sets of all sizes, seperate sheets, pillow cases, pillows, comforters, blankets, and fabric of all types and sizes.

We have a wonderful baby section with clothes, shoes, linens, toys and equipment.

We have a large supply of books--both hardcover and soft cover. We have lots of children's books, too.

We have craft supplies: fabric, yarn, sewing items, needlepoint kits, hoops, paints, etc.

We also have some electronics for sale. All items are tested before going on the floor. Check out our radios and stereo equipment. Occasionally we have televisions, too. Again, all at reasonable cost.

Check out the Survival Center, because you are definitely missing out on some great deals if you don't stop in!

Food Pantry Report from Jean Thurber

Households served 2009

January = 395 includes 625 adults; 295 children; 920 individuals

February = 371 includes 569 adults; 271 children; 840 Individuals

March = 452 includes 699 adults; 366 children; 1065 Individuals

April = 417 includes 641 adults; 355 children; 996 Individuals

May = 387 households; 562 adults; 274 children; 836 individuals

June = 412 households; 640 adults; 333 children; 973 individuals

July = 439 households; 680 adults; 327 children; 1,007 individuals

August = 418 households; 656 adults; 304 children; 960 individuals

New Clients (these are new to the Center)

January = 19 households; 26 adults; 14 children; 40 individuals

Febuary = 32 households; 47 adults; 25 children; 72 Individuals

March = 32 households; 44 adults; 22 children; 66 Individuals

April = 27 households; 40 adults; 29 children; 69 Individuals

May = 29 households; 36 adults; 20 children; 56 individuals

June = 30 households; 43 adults; 24 children; 67 individuals

July = 41 households; 53 adults; 29 children; 82 individuals

August = 27 households; 36 adults; 12 children; 48 individuals

Households Served 2008

January = 375 includes 561 adults; 323 children; 884 individuals

February = 274 includes 398 adults; 257 children; 635 individuals

March = 331 includes 516 adults; 316 children; 832 individuals

April = 357 includes 540 adults; 306 children; 846 individuals

May = 344 includes 531 adults; 285 children; 816 individuals

June = 342 includes 52 adults; 278 children; 798 individuals

July = 352 includes 534 adults; 328 children; 862 individuals

August = 378 includes 592 adults; 343 children; 735 individuals

September = 380 includes 579 adults; 317 children; 896 individuals

October = 449 includes 698 adults; 409 children; 1107 individuals

November = 423 includes 688 adults; 359 children; 1047 Individuals

Note: during this month, 270 Thanksgiving food boxes were distributed to clients.

December = 381 includes 545 adults; 292 children; 888 individuals

New Clients-2008 (these are new to the center)

January = 38 includes 50 adults; 17 children; 67 individuals

February = 27 includes 40 adults; 11 children; 51 individuals

March = 30 includes 52 adults; 27 children; 77 individuals

April = 34 includes 53 adults; 15 children; 68 individuals

May = 27 includes 41 adults; 11 children; 52 individuals

June = 29 includes 44 adults; 27 children; 71 individuals

July = 46 includes 57 adults; 35 children; 92 individuals

August = 38 includes 56 adults; 35 children; 91 individuals

September = 40 includes 55 adults; 39 children; 94 individuals

October = 45 includes 45 adults; 62 children; 92 individuals

November = unavailable

December = 39 includes 53 adults; 13 children; 66 individuals

These figures do not include the daily walk-ins who are not "signed up" clients. These individuals come in a collect bread, sweets or other "special" items that we have available on our shelves and in our cooler. The number has increased since last year from an average of 80 - 100 to 120-130 a day!

Volunteer Opportunities

The Survival Center can always use volunteers. The tasks given to the volunteers varies but often they assist with sorting clothing and putting new items out on the floor at the thrift store. If you are interested in volunteering for the Survival Center, please drop by the center during business hours and fill out a volunteer application.

For more information on volunteer opportunities, call the Survival Center.

About the Survival Center

The purpose of the center is to provide free food to needy individuals and families in the Franklin County Area. There is also a thrift shop where clothing, household items, furniture and other necessities are for sale at an extremely reasonable cost. The thrift shop is open to the general public and helps finance our food pantry. In an emergency, such as a fire or flood, the center will supply needed household items (if available) and clothing, free of charge, also additional food, to help the victims of a disaster. We also assist women who have had to move due to domestic violence.

The only employees at the Center are cashiers and the van driver. All other workers at the center are volunteers. A Board of Directors, made up of residents from various county towns, sets policy, financial obligations and manages the daily operation of the center. The survival center is a non-profit organization, under section 501 3© of the Internal Revenue Code (our tax exempt number is 042-77-6526). Donors may deduct contributions of money, food, clothing or household items for tax purposes.

Please mail monetary donations to:

Franklin Area Survival Center
96 Fourth Street
Turners Falls MA 01376

______________________________________________________________

Franklin Area Survival Center Board Members

Faith E. Rockwood, President
Sonnya Peters, Vice President
Fern Kolakoski, Treasurer
Candace Lynde, Secretary
Barbara Alfange, Executive Committee
Dawn Lang, Executive Committee
Diane Muszynski, Executive Committee
Dorothy Gagnon, Executive Committee
Jean Thurber, Board Member
Susan Howard, Board Member

Employees

Jamie Symmes, Site Supervisor
David Turner, Assistant to the Site Supervisor
Miranda Boyle, Cashier/Sorter
Mary Cavanaugh, Cashier
Myryah Daehn, Cashier
Barbara Dennis, Sorter
Thea Leh, Bookkeeper 




 

How to Receive Services

If you feel that you need the services provided by the Survival Center, you will need to come in to determine income eligibility. You will need a form of identification, proof of income (Disability, AFDC, etc.), proof of life expenses (rent, utilities, etc.). If you have any questions, please call the center and ask to speak to intake and they will explain the process to you. Please do not hesitate to call us (863-9549) if you are not able to provide proof, we can help you temporarily until you are able to locate the needed info. We do not let anyone go hungry!

Everyone is entitled to come into the pantry and get bread, sweets or other special items on the front shelves or in the cooler. Please abide by the signs that are posted. If we are low, we will lower that amount allowed per person. We strive for all to get something, so that no one is hungry.

Please visit the Survival Center's Food Pantry during the hours of 10:00-1:30 to sign up for help.

Guidelines for Thrift Store Donations

The Survival Center can always use donations of furniture, household items, and clothing for our thrift store. Please observe the following guidelines:

We only accept donations during business hours. Please do not leave donations outside of the store during non-business hours. Please do not leave bags of clothing outside our doors--feral cats in the area cause us to lose the contents.

We are accepting working electronics (TV's, Stereos, etc). Televisions are tested and if not working will be refused.

We accept donations of estates, close outs, etc. - Please contact Del to arrange pick up.
Furniture should be in good condition (all drawers are functional, no missing knobs or shelves, no excessive scratches, cracks or breaks, or dents, etc).

Clothing should be free of rips, stains, holes, and be in good condition. They should not be faded or dirty. We do not have facilities to wash clothing at the Survival Center so please be sure that clothing is in Ready to Sell condition.

Large items such as furniture (and large amounts of clothing) can be arranged to be picked up by our driver. Please call the Survival Center at 413-863-9549 if you need to arrange a pickup. Our driver has the discretion of rejecting any items he feels are not acceptable for resale in our thrift store. Please call with any questions regarding donations to Del at 863-9549.

Please remember our thrift store helps finance our food pantry and pay the bills. The thrift store is open to the general public! We highly encourage you to pass the word about this wonderful gem located in downtown Turners Falls, MA!

Hours of Operation

The Survival Center Thrift Store is open year round:

Monday-Saturday ------10:00 a.m.- 5:00 p.m.

The center is closed on Federal holidays.

Thanksgiving: The thrift store will be open the Friday and Saturday following Thanksgiving day.

Christmas: It depends on the day of the week that the holiday fall on. If it falls on a Friday we will be closed for the rest of the week. For other days of the week, please watch for our signs in the windows. We post at least two weeks in advance of the holiday. It may also be posted on this blog.

The Food Pantry is Open:

Monday-Friday----------10:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.

The pantry is closed on Federal holidays. At Thanksgiving we close the pantry the Tuesday before Thanksgiving and reopen the following Monday. See Christmas information in the thrift store hours section.


Directions:

From Greenfield on Route 2A, go past Stop & Shop, make a right at the lights. Go around the corner and come up into Gill at the lights. Turn right going into Turners Falls. You will go over the Gill-Montague bridge and onto Avenue A. Continue on Avenue A through one set of lights, the next street off of the avenue is Fourth Street, take a left. The Survival Center is a large gray building (96) on the right near the end of the street.

Call for directions from other areas 413-863-9549.