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.
Dick’s Angels Relay For Life Team will serve a roast pork dinner with mashed potatoes and vegetable Friday from 5 to 7:30 p.m. $10. Hamburgers, hot dogs, and grilled cheeses will also be available. All proceeds benefit the American Cancer Society.
Democrats in Charlemont will hold a caucus Saturday at 10 a.m. at the Windy Hill Common Room, 30 Windy Hill Road, to elect two delegates and one alternate to the 2017 Massachusetts Democratic Convention, where Democrats from across the state will gather to adopt a new Party Platform. The convention will be June 3 at the Tsongas Arena in Lowell. The caucus is open to all registered Democrats in Charlemont. Details on the rules can be found at www.massdems.org. For more information on the caucus or the committee contact Andrea Santos at andrea@Lsheepskin.com. 413-339-8733.
Community Meal: Stone Soup Cafe takes place Saturdays at noon at All Souls Church, 399 Main St. (Hope Street entrance). Local food served. Pay-what-you-can. All welcome.
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.
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.
Shelburne Falls Arms Library 7 p.m. Free program. A presentation, “Appalachian Trail — 46 Years in the Making Slides and Q&A” with west county resident John Geyster will take place Friday at 7 p.m. at the Shelburne Falls Arms Library, upper level. Handicapped accessible via the lower level entrance. Free. According to Geyster: “The dream started during the summer of 1970 as an 11-year-old Boy Scout. It all started with a weeklong backpacking trip on the Long Trail in Vermont. Needless to say I was hooked. Having grown up exploring the woods of North Central Massachusetts, it was only natural that I wanted to see where the Appalachian Trail would lead me. School, work and family always took precedence over backpacking, but time was made for one or two trips each year. Over the intervening years with friends, family and Boy Scouts, the 253-mile Long Trail was completed five times along with one-third of the Appalachian Trail. My journey culminated in 2016 with the thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail.”
Free Community Meal: Offered every Friday at 5:30 p.m. at Trinity Church, Severance Street.
Crystal Niedbala, daughter of Karen and John Niedbala of Sunderland, was named to the dean’s list for the Fall 2016 semester at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst. Niedbala is enrolled in the Isenberg School of Management.
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.
Belinda Lyons Zucker will display her entire collection of dolls and masks on in the lobby at Greenfield Savings Bank, 282 Avenue A on Saturday. Each unique doll has a name and a story. The African-American Doll Art Collection will be on display through Tuesday. Stop in during lobby hours to view Lyons Zucker personal character collection of dolls and the stories that they tell. A continuing celebration of Black History Month.
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.
The film “Wolf” will be shown at the Wendell Free Library Saturday at 7:30 p.m. as part of the library’s Science Fiction/Fantasy and Horror/Monster movie series. Worn down and out of luck, aging publisher Will Randall is at the end of his rope when a younger co-worker snatches both his job and wife out from under his nose. But after being bit by a wolf, Will suddenly finds himself energized, more competitive than ever, and possessed with amazingly heightened senses. This is the first werewolf movie in the series of six werewolf movies to be shown at the library this year. Free. www.wendellfreelibrary.org or call 978-544-3559.
Helpful Programs at LifePath. Any plan of care starts with your needs. LifePath services provide assistance with light homemaking, home-delivered meals, personal care, and adaptive equipment. Caregivers can take a break to de-stress with LifePath’s respite services. In addition, the Consumer Directed Care Program at LifePath 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@lifepathma.org or call 773-5555 or 978-544-2259. Read more at lifepathma.org.
SHINE: Serving the Health Insurance needs of Everyone: do you have Medicare but feel overwhelmed by your options? SHINE counselors are volunteers who provide free unbiased health insurance information, education, and assistance to Medicare beneficiaries and adults with disabilities to help people figure out what their best health insurance options are based on their unique needs. Contact a SHINE at LifePath at 773-555 or 978-544-2259. Email info@lifepathma.org and learn more at lifepathma.org.
Vigil for Racial Justice: Every Saturday, 9 to 10 a.m., at the Greenfield Common. Bring your own sign or use one of ours. Everyone is welcome. For more information: email@racialjusticerising.org.
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. 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.