NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — If you see emergency vehicles at Walmart on Saturday — give them a toy.
The annual Emergency Service Toy Drive will be accepting new, unwrapped toys for needy families from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday.
The emergency responders will be set up near the Walmart entrance and will be accepting suitable toys for ages zero to 12 like board games, dolls and action figures, building blocks, art supplies and sports equipment.
Toys can also be dropped off until Dec. 11 at the police station, fire station, ambulance station and Bright Ideas Brewery. Monetary donations can be dropped off at the police station to MaryAnn King's attention.
The city's Police and Fire Departments and Northern Berkshire EMS have been running the drive for about decade now.
But organizer King said this year the need is greater than ever. The drive already has 62 families and more than 120 children signed up.
"It seems likes it's going to be a tough year and we want to make sure everybody gets something," said King.
Families and children are mostly identified through the Berkshire Community Action Council; volunteers, including from Berkshire Family and Individual Resources, help organize the toys by age and wrap them up for distribution in December.
All of the donations will be given out to children in the community.
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.
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Berkshires Getting Frozone Weekend
Staff Reports
The groundhog saw his shadow and hunkered down for the never-ending winter as more snow and more cold hits the Berkshires this weekend.
The National Weather Service in Albany, N.Y., has issued a winter weather advisory from 7 p.m. Friday to 7 p.m. Saturday for snow and gusty winds.
The region could get between 3 and 6 inches of snow and wind gusts up to 35 mph, which will cause blowing and drifting of snow. This will particularly hit Northern Berkshire and western Windham County in Vermont.
Plan on slippery road conditions. Areas of blowing snow could significantly reduce visibility.
Also prepare for yet another deep freeze (even freezier than it has been) on Saturday. Albany has issued an "extreme cold" warning in from 7 a.m. Saturday through Sunday at 1.
The forecast has "dangerously cold" wind chills as low as 25 to 35 below.
Right now, the warning is targeted for eastern New York State and the southern Adirondacks, but the NWS map shows the frigid air covering all of Western Mass and Southern Vermont and most of Connecticut.
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