Mother Woman support group: A support group for new mothers. Meets Mondays, 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., at St. John’s Corner, 469 Main St. This group, under the joint sponsorship of It Takes a Village and St. John’s Episcopal Church, meets each Monday, except school holidays. Pregnant and postpartum mothers welcome. Infants stay with mothers. Snack for all; free child care for children up to age 4. For more information, contact Anna Westley at anna@motherwelldoulacare.com.
Kingsmen Chess Club: Meets Sundays, noon to 4 p.m., Millers River Environmental Center, 100 Main St. For more information, call John Dould at 978-249-5905 or email aelb@trysb.net or aelb@hotmail.com.
Smoking Cessation: Led by Tim Sweeney, tobacco treatment specialist. Meets Mondays, 6 to 7 p.m. Athol Hospital’s cafeteria.
TOPS: Take Off Pounds Sensibly Thursdays, 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., Athol Congregational Church.
Field Memorial Libary, 1 Elm St.: Learn Ukulele with Julie at Field Memorial Library of Conway on Wednesday, March 30 at 11 a.m. Learn how to tune up, play some chords and strum along with Julie Stepanek, local musician and teacher. Family fun, all ages welcome. Reservations required, sign up and reserve a ukulele, or bring your own. To register, call 369-4646. The library is located at 1 Elm St., Conway and has access for disabled persons.
Dick’s Angels Relay For Life Team will not be serving on Good Friday night. They will be back Friday, April 1.
Vet to Vet: The RECOVER Project and the Recovery Learning Community offer Vet to Vet every Thursday from 3 to 4:30 p.m. at 74 Federal St. This collaboration is for all veterans, regardless of discharge status to offer support when the civilian world is a challenge. For more information, contact Tim at 475-0226.
Helpful Programs at FCHCC: At Franklin County Home Care. Any plan of care starts with your needs. Home Care Services provide assistance with light homemaking, home-delivered meals, personal care, and adaptive equipment. Caregivers can take a break to de-stress with Home Care’s respite services. In addition, the Consumer Directed Care Program at FCHCC allows elders in need to select their own care giver — perhaps a friend, neighbor or even a family member — who can be paid through this program (excludes spouses). For more information, visit: info@fchcc.org or call 773-5555 or 978-544-2259. Read more at www.fchcc.org.
Food Pantry: the community food pantry will be open Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The pantry is in the basement of Dickinson Memorial Library, 115 Main St. The pantry is open the second and fourth Saturdays of the month.
Trinity Women of Trinity Church will host their annual Easter Bake Sale on Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon in front of Keystone Market on Bridge Street. Stop by for special holiday treats, ready to serve. All proceeds go to support the Church’s community outreach programs. The sale will take place rain, snow or shine!
Free Community Meal: Offered every Friday at 5:30 p.m. at Trinity Church, Severance Street.
Playgroup on Fridays: Playgroup on Fridays at Shutesbury Elementary School, 9 to 10:30 a.m. Shutesbury Elementary School.
NELCWIT’s Media Literacy Book Club will meet Monday, March 28 at 6 p.m. at the Sunderland Public Library. This month the book club is reading “Bad Feminist” by Roxanne Gay. The club will discuss how women and violence are portrayed in media, and how those portrayals impact our culture. The club is open to anyone with an interest in developing media literacy. To sign up for the book club or pick up a copy of the book, contact the library at 665-2642.
Preschool story time: Fridays, 11 a.m. in the Children’s Room of the Sunderland Public Library. These story/craft times are for children ages 3 to 5 and their families/caregivers. Each story time is about 45 minutes and includes theme-related stories, songs, finger plays and crafts.
Serendipity Shop: Saturdays, 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Congregational Church basement. Men’s women, children’s clothing, shoes and sneakers. Most items $1. Men’s suits and all coats, $3. Women’s suits, $2. Donations accepted. Proceeds to benefit the church. 665-2890.
The Easter Bunny is coming to town along the Bunny Trail! On Friday from 3:30 to 5 p.m. at Greenfield Savings Bank, 282 Avenue A. GSB, with the help Easter Bunny, will be taking colored photos of children free of charge. Registration is required and walk-ins will only be accommodated as time permits. Call Hilary, Kerri or Linda at 863-4316 to register. Only one free photo per child/group; other arrangements made at the discretion of GSB. Please bring a donation for the local dog shelter.
The following Great Falls Middle School students were selected as Students of the Week for week ending March 18: Grade 6 — Anayah Brewington. Grade 7 — Lana Spera, Paige Bonarrigo. Grade 8 — Lindsay Whiteman.
Franklin Area Survival Center: The Food Pantry & Thrift Store hosted by staff and volunteers is at 96 Fourth St., 863-9549. The Thrift Store is open Monday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. the Food Pantry is open Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The center is closed Federal holidays. The Thrift Shop is open to the general public and helps finance its Food Pantry. In an emergency, such as a fire or flood, the center will supply needed clothing and linens, free, and additional food to help the victims of a disaster.
Free Reiki sessions: Reiki for Breast Cancer Patients/Survivors in Franklin County. Saturday mornings by appointment, 474 Main St., Suite 2, Greenfield. Reiki, an ancient and relaxing, noninvasive therapy, enhances the body’s natural healing ability while calming the body, mind and spirit. For more information or to schedule an appointment, call Mary Jessie Blazejewski, Reiki master/teacher at 774-9927.
Eventide Singers: Offering songs of hope and healing for seriously or terminally ill people, their families and carergivers. the service is offered in homes, hospitals and care facilities, without charge. The music can be selected in response to spiritual preference. Eventide’s purpose is to provide a bed of supportive music on which a person may rest in harmony while in transition from this time to what is next to come. For more information and a Youtube video of the group, go to: www.eventidesigners.com or call Marcia Schuhle at 774-2335 or Joe Toritto at 774-5828.
Straight Spouse Support: One to one support for straight individuals currently or once married to lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender partners. Confidential helpline at 625-6636 or email jcmalinski48@gmail.com locally or at the Straight Spouse Network nationally at www.straightspouse.org.
Counseling Referrals: the Social Work therapy Referral Service offers free confidential referrals for individual, couple, family and group therapy, matched for specialty, location and insurance. This is a public service of the National Association of Social Workers. Call 800-242-9794.
Help the blind: Your car, truck or camper may be worth more as a donation than a trade in. Call the Massachusetts Association for the Blind at 888-613-2777 for details. this is a free two, quick pick up and donations are tax deductible. Proceeds benefit blind and vision impaired persons in Massachusetts.