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Emergency responders are teaming up with Rotary, YMCA and Walmart for holiday toy and clothing drive. Last year's event collected 1,000 donations.

North Adams Groups Holding Toy & Clothing Drive

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NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The city's emergency responders are teaming up with the Northern Berkshire Family YMCA and North Adams Rotary to conduct a Holiday Toy and Clothing Drive this Thursday, Dec. 8, from 12:30 to 6:30 p.m. at Walmart on Curran Highway.

Members of the North Adams Ambulance Service and the Fire and Police departments will be on hand with their vehicles to collect the donations, along with Mayor Richard Alcombright. All donations received will be used to aid local families this holiday season.

Last  year's drive collected some 1,000 pieces for the statewide Toys for Tots, said organizer MaryAnn King of the Police Department. This year, she said, the goal was to make sure all the toys were distributed locally.

"We want to stay locally here," she said. "Our officers, they see a lot of families that don't have anything ...  I asked the Rotary if they were interested in participating and they hooked up with the Y. ...

"It's the young kids who believe in Santa who'll be upset if there's nothing under tree."

The Rotary and YMCA will host a party for invited families on Sunday, Dec. 11, at the YMCA with pizza, crafts, entertainment and possibly a confetti dunking booth. The donated gifts will be distributed by age and gender.



Thursday's event will include a police cruiser, fire truck and ambulance for the kids to check out, hot chocolate, coloring books, and giveaways as supplies last.

The drive is for new, unwrapped toys and clothing for children up to age 12. King said any new children's clothing will be accepted but the preference is for warm winter clothing — hats, coats, mittens, etc.  Please, no toy weapons: swords, knives, guns, etc.

Donations can also be dropped off at any of the public safety locations.

"I've had a lot of good responses," King said, and pointed to firefighter Robert Patenaude and ambulance manager John Meaney Jr. for their help in organizing the event. "Everybody's really getting psyched about it."

The event is being sponsored by the local Walmart, the North Adams Rotary Club, the YMCA, North Adams Ambulance Service, North Adams Fire Department, North Adams Police Department, North Adams Public Schools, and the mayor's office.


Tags: donations,   holiday event,   public safety,   Rotary,   toys,   

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Clarksburg Sees Race for Select Board Seat

CLARKSBURG, Mass. — The town will see a three-way race for a seat on the Select Board in May. 
 
Colton Andrews, Seth Alexander and Bryana Malloy returned papers by Wednesday's deadline to run for the three-year term vacated by Jeffrey Levanos. 
 
Andrews ran unsuccessfully for School Committee and is former chairman of the North Adams Housing Authority, on which he was a union representative. He is also president of the Pioneer Valley Building Trades Council.
 
Malloy and Alexander are both newcomers to campaigning. Malloy is manager of industrial relations for the Berkshire Workforce Board and Alexander is a resident of Gates Avenue. 
 
Alexander also returned papers for several other offices, including School Committee, moderator, library trustee and the five-year seat on the Planning Board. He took out papers for War Memorial trustee and tree warden but did not return them and withdrew a run for Board of Health. 
 
He will face off in the three-year School Committee seat against incumbent Cynthia Brule, who is running for her third term, and fellow newcomer Bonnie Cunningham for library trustee. 
 
Incumbent Ronald Boucher took out papers for a one-year term as moderator but did not return them. He was appointed by affirmation in 2021 when no won ran and accepted the post again last year as a write-in.
 
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