ORANGE — All of a sudden, it’s cold.
It seems just yesterday the annual battle between air conditioners and the steaming heat was at its peak, but a quick look at the weather forecast will show that daily low temperatures are going from the 40s to the 30s and into the 20s as the days go by, with Orange possibly seeing some snow this coming weekend.
There are some good things about this time of the year, though — a string of joyous days approaches with the holiday season.
Both the holiday cheer and the cold should be a reminder that there are members of the community who are in need, and the Wheeler Memorial Library’s hat and mitten drive is a convenient way to make a difference.
“It’s my hope that the families who receive the hats and mittens will feel a little more secure during the winter,” said Jason Sullivan-Flynn, the children’s librarian at Wheeler Memorial Library.
Sullivan-Flynn and Library Assistant Rusty Shaw organized the hat and mitten drive, which Sullivan-Flynn said is the library’s first ever, to his knowledge. Donations are already coming in, and Sullivan-Flynn said several patrons have planned on bringing in more.
And, as a community library, Sullivan-Flynn said the hat and mitten drive is part of its mission.
“This hat and mitten drive fits in with the many ways that the library serves our users,” Sullivan-Flynn said. “We seek to meet the needs of our patrons when making books, media, educational kits and technology available for loan, when running programs that are designed to enrich the lives of children and families in a fun and engaging way, when helping to provide food security through our public vegetable garden and through our school and daycare outreach programs.”
The drive will go until Dec. 1, when the Central Congregational Church will begin to distribute the donated items to the public at the Cellar Closet Thrift Shop at 93 South Main St., open from 9 a.m. to noon each Saturday.
According to Sullivan-Flynn, the church has become a “community partner” in this endeavor, as has Community Action Pioneer Valley, which will make the hats and mittens available when it meets with people to help them apply for food stamp and health insurance programs or financial assistance. Community Action Pioneer Valley will also distribute donated items from its office at 167 South Main St. between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. each Friday.
“The holidays can sometimes be challenging for those in need, and I’m proud that the library can help provide comfort to our community at this time of year,” Sullivan-Flynn said.
Donations of new hats, mittens and gloves — in either children or adult sizes — may be dropped off at the Wheeler Memorial Library at 49 East Main St. in the Children’s Room downstairs during the library’s open hours, Monday and Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Wednesday and Thursday from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m.; and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The library is closed on Friday and Sunday.
Reach David McLellan at dmclellan@recorder.com or 413-772-0261, ext. 268.