The Hoosac Valley cafeteria was transformed into what one senior citizen described as “a four star restaurant,†when the annual Art Hathaway Memorial Dinner took place.
Each year the members of the Student Council, school volunteers and local businesses hold a complimentary dinner for the senior citizens of our community. This year an estimated 275 senior members of the community attended the dinner, held in memory of Art Hathaway, a highly respected former Fire Chief of Adams who passed away several years ago.
At about 5 PM, the residents of Adams, Cheshire and Savoy arrived at the high school for a dinner of turkey, potatoes, stuffing, gravy, cranberry sauce and dessert. The guests were assisted in their transportation to the high school by a free shuttle service provided by the Dufour Bus Company. The elaborate meal was prepared under the close supervision of HVHS cafeteria director Dawn Krutiak, her staff and a number of volunteers including employees of Big Y.
Preparations for the dinner began several weeks before the event took place. Members of the Student Council, under the direction of Mrs. Judy Clarno, were each assigned three businesses to solicit for help with the dinner. Twenty-five to thirty local businesses were asked to provide food, monetary donations, or gift certificates, which were awarded as gifts to the senior citizens who attended the event. Members of the business community were extremely supportive and generous. Big Y Supermarket donated 200 pounds of turkey and many other fixings for the meal.
After the meal, music was provided for the dancing and listening pleasure of the guests. This year the entertainment included a live band, Remaj. The band included Hoosac students Michael Blazejewski, Mark Balawender, Randy Schickler and AJ LeBlanc, assisted by Mr. Robert Balawender. In addition, principal Deborah Carter took the microphone for a few songs. As an extra treat, Falcetti Music brought along an organ so a small group of senior citizens in attendance, who had been taking organ lessons at Falcetti Music could entertain the audience. The evening was enjoyed by all in attendance.
Student Council President, Scott Beauchmin describes the success of the dinner with these words, “These people from not only Student Council, but from the school contributed to one of the best dinners ever. That kind of community service makes our school one of the best around.â€
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Letter: Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive
Letter to the Editor
To the Editor:
The Board of Directors of the Al Nelson Friendship Center Food Pantry in North Adams wishes to thank the North Adams, Clarksburg and Florida Mountain community for their generation donations to the May 11 Letter Carrier Food Drive.
We received a total of 3,595 pounds of food and personal care items.
We equally want to thank our Letter Carriers who work out of the North Adams Post Office. They again went above and beyond in collecting the donations and bringing them to the collection and sorting site. They are always a pleasure to work with.
We also want to thank the Northern Berkshire United Way, the Northern Berkshire Community Coalition, and the Berkshire United Way for their support, as well all of the volunteers who helped on the day of the Food Drive.
Lois Daunis North Adams, Mass.
Daunis is the board president of the Friendship Center.
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