BUCKLAND — Residents can learn about the different resources and assistance agencies that are available locally during the third annual West County Community Resource Fair.
The Mary Lyon Foundation will host the annual fair on Wednesday, Sept. 17, from 3:30 to 7 p.m. at Mohawk Trail Regional School, 26 Ashfield Road. Attendees will have a chance to connect with food pantries, get their flu shot or COVID-19 vaccine, and learn about the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and fuel assistance without needing to travel to an office or schedule an appointment.
“It’s not always easy for people to get to Greenfield to meet with different agencies during working hours,” Mary Lyon Foundation Executive Director Kristen Tillona-Baker said. “We’re doing this to empower students and families, and connect them with resources.”
Bringing different human services agencies together for an afternoon at the middle and high school makes it easier for more people to learn about the resources available to them in a place they may be more familiar with and that is easier to access, Tillona-Baker said.
“It just puts people at ease,” she said of the school.
The resource fair will have representatives from organizations that offer support with health and mental health, heat and energy, housing and more. Tillona-Baker said the fair will welcome The Literacy Project, MassHire, the Opioid Task Force of Franklin County and the North Quabbin Region, Greenfield Community College, Community Action Pioneer Valley and other organizations located in Franklin County. Attendees will be able to ask questions and learn about how these organizations and others may be able to support them and their individual needs.
“We designed this fair to be more than just a place to pick up a brochure or ask a
question,” Tillona-Baker said. “That’s why we’re committed to creating a warm, welcoming space where people can talk face-to-face with providers, connect with resources they may not have known existed, and leave feeling seen, supported and empowered. That sense of
belonging is just as important as the services themselves.”
Simultaneously, the Mary Lyon Foundation’s Caring is Sharing Clothing Closet, which is located at the school, will be open that day for anyone who needs to pick up a few items.
“There we have free clothes, hygiene products and survival kits,” Tillona-Baker said.
The fair will have a few interactive activities to keep children entertained as well, Tillona-Baker noted. There will be face painting, an art project, a touch-a-truck event and a few therapy dogs willing to be pet.
Tillona-Baker said the event is not just about connecting students and families with resources, but also western Franklin County residents of all ages.
“It’s a wide range of resources and it’s an intergenerational event,” she said. “It’s not just for students.”
She added that Greenfield’s Stone Soup Cafe will provide a free meal, so parents can attend and get connected with resources without having to worry about getting home and making dinner.
“It’s one less thing to worry about,” Tillona-Baker said.
For more information about the event, visit marylyonfoundation.org.
