GREENFIELD — The Children’s Advocacy Center of Franklin County and North Quabbin Inc. accepted a donation of 100 comfort bags Tuesday to give to the children it serves, courtesy of the Franklin County Rotary Club.
The Children’s Advocacy Center, located on Wisdom Way, provides a safe environment for interviewing child victims of sexual or physical abuse to gather facts for both medical and legal purposes. The comfort bags contain plush toys, personal care items, notebooks and pens, and other tactile items children can play with during the interview process and beyond.
The comfort bags were delivered by Franklin County Rotary Club member Sandi Walters, who organized the donation.
“I was doing something smaller on my own for another group, so I presented it at a Rotary meeting and they OK’d it,” Walters said, adding it was possible to make the bags due to donations, including a “sizable” one from the Greenfield Savings Bank. Walters said there is some money left over that may be used to buy snacks to add to the bags as they are distributed.
Frank Schwerin, also of the Rotary Club, who was present for the donation, praised Walters for her efforts.
“Sandi puts this all together,” he said. “She does it all.”
During an average year, the Children’s Advocacy Center may handle 100 cases, but last year it only had 40 cases due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Executive Director Irene Woods. Bill Benson, president of the Children’s Advocacy Center board, quickly added that, “It was happening, it just wasn’t being reported.”
So far this year, the Children’s Advocacy Center has seen 60 cases. This is the center’s fourth year of receiving donated comfort bags, which were not received last year amid the pandemic. Staff hope the tradition can make a difficult situation a little easier for the children they serve.
Reach Paul Franz at 413-772-0261, ext. 266 or pfranz@recorder.com.
