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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McCann Committee Gets First Look at $17M Renovation Progress
By Jack GuerinoiBerkshires Staff
The project is in the home stretch with roofing and some windows and doors still to be installed. Superintendent James Brosnan also pointed above to HVAC improvements in the Guidance Office.
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The McCann School Committee got a first look at the final stretch of a $17 million overhaul aimed at making the 64-year-old vocational school safer, quieter and more energy-efficient.
After a brief School Committee meeting Thursday, Superintendent James Brosnan led the members through the school, highlighting some of the changes made in the 64-year-old building.
"Just seeing this gives you a magnitude of the amount of work that goes on," he said.
The upgrades are being funded through the Massachusetts School Building Authority's Accelerated Repair Program and the Northern Berkshire Vocational School District's member towns.
Work was supposed to be completed before the start of the school year, but weather and the removal of materials caused a delay.
The tour was all indoors, and Brosnan told a disappointed committee that he was hesitant to take them onto the roof at night, but said the new roof is near 80 percent down.
"We have another 10, and 10 percent of that missing 20 is in the AVB [air and vapor barrier] and removal phase," Brosnan said. "That particular area is across the front, down the post-secondary ... we are going to pick up from guidance. So we have that plan going through next week. Fingers crossed, within two weeks we will have that piece down."
He said the roof has been built up and insulated for more efficiency.
The McCann School Committee got a first look at the final stretch of a $17 million overhaul aimed at making the 64-year-old vocational school safer, quieter and more energy-efficient. click for more
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