United Way of North Central Massachusetts Food Drive a Huge Success
The United Way of North Central Massachusetts (UWNCM) and the North Central Hunger & Health Roundtable would like to thank the community for supporting their 2022 Holiday Food Drive. The inaugural drive provided food to over 450 families, benefiting more than 1,100 people.
Throughout November and early December, community members dropped off food and non-food items at local organizations, banks and businesses throughout North Central Massachusetts. On December 20-21, local food pantries and agencies came to the UWNCM office to pick up the donated items. Donations included stuffing, rice, pasta, cranberry sauce, gravy, pies, hats, gloves and socks. The United Way Combat Hunger initiative also gave funds to supplement the effort.
Drive organizers would like to give special thanks to the following participants: ACTION Community Health Center, Athol Area YMCA, Bethany Baptist Church, Chair City Church, Enterprise Bank, Faith Lutheran Church, Fitchburg Community Health Center, Ginny's Helping Hand, Inc., Greater Gardner Community Health Center, Leominster Community Health Center, Lowe's, Main Street Bank, Mill City Pub, Montachusett Veteran's Outreach Center, Nashoba Valley Chamber of Commerce, St. Bernard's High School, Salvadore Chevrolet Auto Group, Table Talk Pies and Tufts.
The following food pantries and agencies received donations from the drive:
- Catholic Charities
- Clear Path for Veterans NE
- Gardner CAC
- Ginny's Helping Hands, Inc.
- Growing Places Garden Project, Inc.
- Loaves & Fishes Food Pantry, Inc.
- Montachusett Veterans Outreach Center
- North Central Massachusetts Faith Based Community Coalition
- Our Father's House
- St. Vincent de Paul Society at St. Leo's
- Salvation Army of Athol
- Salvation Army of Fitchburg/Leominster
- Spanish American Center
- Winchendon CAC
Julie Meehan, Executive Director of Gardner CAC, says, "The support from UWNCM, Growing Places and local businesses, churches and social clubs through this region wide food drive meant that we did not have to turn away a single family in need of a holiday meal. Through this partnership, over 400 people were provided a meal! This has been an especially tough year for the families and individuals that we serve. Each day we see people who are struggling to provide basic everyday meals for themselves and their families, let alone make a holiday meal special. This partnership in particular helps brighten the holidays and, at least temporarily, alleviate the struggle and fear that many families face."
United Way of North Central Massachusetts Launches Heat Assistance Fund to Help Local Residents Stay Warm this Winter
Gifts to fund to be doubled by United Way and the Community Foundation of North Central Massachusetts
FITCHBURG, MA: January 4, 2023 - In response to rising home heating costs this winter, the United Way of North Central Massachusetts (UWNCM) has launched a special fund to help local residents stay warm. The "Keep North Central Warm: Heat Assistance Fund" will provide relief for families and individuals throughout the North Central Massachusetts region.
Gifts to the fund will be matched up to $50,000 by UWNCM and the Community Foundation of North Central Massachusetts, and every dollar will go directly to recipients. Funds will be distributed through local UWNCM partner agencies throughout the winter.
As costs rise for fuels including oil, gas, and electricity, the U.S. Energy Information Administration predicts that home heating costs across the United States could be as much as 28% higher this winter than last. In North Central Massachusetts, increases could be much higher—up to 40% more for homes heated with oil and 50% more for homes heated with natural gas.
Local non-profit Making Opportunity Count (MOC) estimates that twice as many people in North Central Massachusetts will need heating assistance this winter than last, noting that they receive a call for heating help every 3 minutes and 15 seconds. Communities expected to be hardest hit by the heating crisis include Athol, Fitchburg, Gardner, and Leominster.
Fitchburg Mayor Stephen L. DiNatale praises the fund as an inspiring community effort, saying, "This initiative demonstrates, once again, the rock solid working relationship that exists between UWNCM and the people of Fitchburg."
UWNMC President Kory Eng says, "We understand that an increasing number of local residents will struggle to afford the high cost of heat. This fund will help to ensure that no one in our community goes cold this winter."
Gifts to the Heat Assistance Fund can be made at uwncm.org/donate/give-warmth/, or by mailing a check to United Way of North Central MA with "Heat Fund" in the Memo line to United Way, 649 John Fitch Hwy. Fitchburg MA 01420.
The United Way of North Central Massachusetts serves the communities of Ashburnham, Ashby, Athol, Ayer, Devens, Fitchburg, Gardner, Groton, Harvard, Hubbardston, Leominster, Littleton, Pepperell, Lunenburg, Petersham, Phillipston, Royalston, Shirley, Templeton, Townsend, Westminster and Winchendon.
Nonprofit CSO Tapped by State to Provide Crisis and Urgent Mental Health Services in Greater Gardner
Clinical & Support Options awarded state CBHC designations for 'North County' effective Jan. 3.
GARDNER - As the outgoing Baker-Polito Administration celebrates its overhaul of the community behavioral health care system in the Commonwealth, local community-based resources in the Greater Gardner area are poised to significantly increase.
As of Jan. 3, local nonprofit community behavioral health agency Clinical & Support Options (CSO) has been designated by Mass. Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS) to be the official "Community Behavioral Health Center" (CBHC) for residents in the towns of Gardner, Ashburnham, Westminster, Winchendon, Hubbardston, and Templeton.
As part of its long-unfolding agenda to improve access to mental health care and substance use treatments, the Baker-Polito Administration's "Roadmap for Behavioral Health Reform" has created 25 different CBHCs across the Commonwealth, all taking effect with the new year.
The CBHCs serve as the "front door" to the MassHealth program's mental health care offerings. The agencies overseeing these key CBHCs were officially named in the fall by the Mass. Behavioral Health Partnership (MBHP).
Local agency CSO was designated the CBHC provider for three regions: Hampshire County (Northampton), Franklin County (served in both Greenfield and Athol, and the Greater Gardner region of North County (in Worcester County). In each location, CSO will expand its already-existing clinics to integrate the new state model.
"We made the case to state officials that Gardner and its surrounding towns would be best served by having a more local provider," explained CSO President & CEO Karin Jeffers. "We're eager to grow our clinic in Gardner and serve more people in the North County region. Having a local CBHC in Gardner will help eliminated barriers of access and ensure a rapid response to people in need."
Jeffers went on to explain that her agency has long provided successful mental health crisis and urgent behavioral health care services in Franklin and Hampshire County as well as in Athol and the North Quabbin region. Moreover, she said, CSO already has the infrastructure in place to take on the new CBHC model.
"At CSO, we've been successfully operating an 'Open Access' clinic model for years at this point, with a broad range of holistic, wraparound supports," Jeffers said. She added that CSO's clinics (now known as CBHCs) serve as an entry point for flexible, person-centered, mental health and addiction treatment services both on an urgent and ongoing basis for children and adults alike.
Jennifer LaRoche, CSO's Vice President of Acute and Day Programs, says the new CBHC designation in Gardner will reinforce community ties already established. "We work closely with local police departments and hospitals as well as countless community partners and schools to assure our role as the designated community provider is one that is consistently reliable and provides quality, evidence-based, trauma-informed care," she said. "Being the official provider now in Gardner will only help to further fuse those relationships."
According to MBHP and EOHHS, CBHC providers must offer integrated mental health and addiction treatments to all ages (with the ability to meet a variety of language needs and to serve individuals with diverse cultural backgrounds) using evidence-based practices. Moreover, CBHC providers must offer:
- Extended hours, including evenings and weekends.
- Same-day access to urgent and crisis treatment (including medications), and drop-in treatments/support (e.g., group sessions, peer supports).
- 24/7 mobile and community crisis response with Community Crisis Stabilization for both youth and adults.
- Telehealth and flexible service delivery locations (e.g., home, school, etc.)
- Peer supports.
- Care coordination.
"This is among the greatest investments I've seen from the State in terms of establishing parity between physical health care and behavioral health care," Jeffers said. "At a time when community behavioral health is facing a critical shortage of licensed providers, it's reassuring to see MassHealth making some adjustments to its model. It's critical that this field be able to attract and retain new talent with the promise of salaries that are competitive with those of other vocations."
The Association for Behavioral Healthcare (ABH) agrees. It calls the Commonwealth's launch of CBHCs "a very promising step in terms of new investment and alternative payment approaches."
In a statement, ABH goes on to say, "We need healthy, robust outpatient clinics that not only deliver treatment services but that teach and train the future workforce."
To learn more about CSO's urgent-access mental health services in Western Mass., visit CSOInc.org/help. To find your nearest CSO location and contact information, visit CSOInc.org/locations.