The union members loaded a truck full of presents for 25 children.
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The firefighters union wants children under DCF's care to have a merry Christmas.
The Fire Department's IAFF 2647 members donated and delivered presents Friday morning for the state Department of Children and Families to give to 25 children.
The social workers will now take those presents out and deliver them to the families.
"Every year, the firefighters union takes $2,000 out of their own money, goes out and shops, and tries to help 20 kids in need," said firefighter Jim Heath.
Heath was joined by fellow union members Tim Conroy, Matthew Bainbridge, and Devon Whalen to deliver the nicely wrapped gifts. The union had shopped for every child, making sure they got a mix of clothing and toys.
"They usually get about four or five gifts each," Conroy said.
The specific presents are exactly what the individual children need. According to Jen Gokey, who organizes the program on behalf of DCF, the social workers make the Christmas list for their clients. Those are then compiled, with each child being assigned a number. Those numbers are then sent out to community partners, like the firefighters, to shop.
"We do it for most of the kids on our caseloads and we do it anonymously with names and numbers that aren't associated with the family," Gokey said. "We have so many different people who do it in the community. There are so many people who do it and the firefighters are just one."
Gokey said the relationship with the firefighters has been a longstanding one, dating back at least a decade.
"They've done this for a number of years and it is a great program," Gokey said.
Overall, DCF works with an array of community partners and thousands of gifts for the children. The social workers now get to do the fun part of delivering them.
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Dalton Town Meeting May 6 Preview
By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
DALTON, Mass. — Voters at the annual town meeting on Monday, May 6, will decide 22 articles, including articles on sidewalks and the authorization of a number of spending articles, including an approximate $22 million budget.
The meeting will take place at 7 p.m. at Wahconah Regional High School. Town meeting documents can be found here.
A little more than a dozen voters attended the nearly two-hour town meeting information session on Monday.
"That budget is going up about 8 percent from what it was last year. Sounds like a lot, it is a lot, the majority of that is coming from increases in insurance, and schools, and other things the town does not have direct control over," Town Manager Thomas Hutcheson said.
"So, the actual town increase is a little under 4 percent. Everything else we're at the mercy of outside forces."
Of the $22 million budget, $10,537,044 is the assessment for the Central Berkshire Regional School District and about $10 million is the town operating budget.
"Last year, that part of the budget went up 10 percent. So, we're going in the right direction. It's not as low as we'd necessarily like to see, but I think both the Select Board and the Finance Committee did a great job this year of trimming away where they could," Hutcheson said.
Voters at the annual town meeting on Monday, May 6, will decide 22 articles, including articles on sidewalks and the authorization of a number of spending articles, including an approximate $22 million budget. click for more
Ken Sagendorph, a former firefighter and emergency technician, says his goal is to improve communication between the Fire District, residents, town, and department if elected to the Board of Water Commissioners. click for more
Adoptable pups Beethoven and Starr took a stroll down North Street on Tuesday with hopes of finding forever homes on National Adopt a Shelter Pet Day. click for more
Michael Kubicki says his priorities if re-elected to the Board of Water Commissioners are to ensure the fire and life safety of the Fire District and make sure the district goes in the direction the members want. click for more