This evening’s Board Of Selectmen meeting was a working session with the Finance Committee.  The purpose of the discussion was to better understand the perceived priorities before heading into the official budget meetings for 2009 and beyond.  This meeting could best be described as a pre-budget meeting.  With the current short-fall in the Massachusetts State Budget, the Town Administrator, BOS and Finance Committee discussed the negative impact of cuts in local aid.

Mr. Malloy had many concerns and felt there was a very real possibility that State Lottery aid could be cut especially since it is running at about a $135 million deficit.  This would mean the loss of approximately $135K for the town of Sturbridge.  In addition he has heard the state budget is short by estimates ranging from $450 million to $700 million.   Jim Malloy went on to state that we really won’t know anything until January 2009.

Jim Malloy also discussed a worst case scenario with respect to cuts in state aid at around 10% which would equate to $320K and he believes there is a very real possibility this could happen.  Mr. Malloy also stated Sturbridge has always budgeted very tightly and the town is considered to be in a good financial position.  Therefore, a 10% cut in local aid could require drastic cuts in services which could impact Town Hall, Library, Senior Center and/or the Recycling Center/Land Fill.

Mr. Malloy doesn’t believe this is where we are headed but the possibility does exist.  He also stated how the State Legislators are very hesitant to give towns the authority to raise additional funds for fear of the reaction of their constituents.  Mr. Malloy cited the lack of Support for Governor Deval Patrick’s plan to allow local municipalities the ability to impose a 2% Meal Tax and a 1% Hotel Tax.  For Sturbridge, this new tax could raise upwards of $1.8 Million.  He doesn’t believe most towns really understand the amount of revenue this could generate as evidenced by a recent legislative breakfast with representatives from 15 to 20 towns where he was one of the only supporters of the plan.

Kevin Smith, Chairman of the Finance Committee, spoke next and offered potential areas where cuts could come from such as Read the rest of this entry »

Brownie Troop 30426 will be conducting a Food Drive on behalf of Sturbridge seniors, at Shaw’s Supermarket on Saturday November 22, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m., and at Stop & Shop on Sunday November 23, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.Troop Leader Chris Ellithorpe indicated the troop’s desire to conduct a community-centered project that would benefit Sturbridge seniors, while cultivating the importance of compassion and empathy for our seniors among members of the troop.

The Brownies will be stationed at the entrance of the stores and will present flyers with suggested items that can be picked up by shoppers. As shoppers exit, they can deposit any food drive items into awaiting shopping carts, which will be manned by Brownies at the exits.

Donated items will then be sorted, bundled up into new reusable shopping bags, (which will have a holiday card attached), and distributed to Sturbridge seniors in need with the assistance of the REAS Foundation and the Senior Center.

This is a great opportunity for all of us to participate in a wonderful project developed by the Brownies, as a means of enhancing the important bond between seniors and our youth - a vital component to every community.

In advance of the “official” food drive dates, residents can get a head start by selecting items from the list below, and either setting them aside or contacting Chris Ellithorpe at  508-347-7734  or by email at rcellithorpe@yahoo.com for pick-up alternatives. Residents can also contact the REAS Foundation -     508-434-4614     or info@reasfoundation.org - and we’ll be glad to arrange for pick-ups.

Please consider donating a few of the items below for our seniors, whose daily struggles with energy, medical, and food costs will only escalate as the cold weather sets in. If our list is void of something you think nourishing, please feel free to add it.

Soups - like Progresso or any of the hearty meal type soups
Canned vegetables and fruits
Canned beans
Canned meats - tuna, chicken, etc.
Canned Beef Stew
Boxed pasta
Pasta Sauce (pre-made in jars)
Apple Sauce
Macaroni and cheese mixes (everybody loves Kraft Mac & Cheese; it even now comes in pre-portioned cups)
Pasta/rice mixes (the Uncle Ben’s 90-second microwavable bags are well portioned and convenient)
Rice (same as above)
Peanut butter (great source of protein and a real appetite pleaser)
Jams/jellies (helps to make that peanut butter even tastier)
Cereals - Cheerios, Raisin Bran, Kashi, etc.
Hot cereals - oatmeal, cream of wheat, etc.
Crackers
Bottled juices
Coffee/tea/hot chocolate

Your support will be most appreciated by those in need.

The REAS Foundation and the Publick House are teaming up to host a gala Wine & Beer tasting event to express our gratitude for the tremendous community support recieved, on behalf of Sturbridge seniors. We hope you will join us in this celebratory event to mark the four-month mark of our shared efforts and the conclusion of our 10K events. We still have much to do as requests for assistance are arriving at a fast and furious pace, but we hope you will join us in thanking you for your generosity.

What: Sample from a host of Wines and Beers from around the corner, and around the world! Taste and array of fine food selections from the Public House Chef and Brian Treitman of BT’s Smokehouse, against the backdrop of beautiful music. Be on hand, as the drawing for the REAS Gift Baskets is conducted.

Baskets include:

1)    Pamper Yourself With Lotions from Crabtree & Evelyn

2)    Golf Foursome at Cyprian Keys with a $75.00 Gift Card for Pro Shop/Restaurant/Gift   Shop.

3)    Star Wars Themed Basket

4)    Shaw’s Food Basket with $65.00 Worth of Snacks and a $100.00 Shaw’s Gift Card

5)    Spa & Jewelry Basket: Massage, Pedicure, & Facial, along with a $75.00 Gift Card for Garieri’ Jewelers.

Where: PUBLICK HOUSE TAP ROOM & PINEAPPLE ROOM
 
When: THURSDAY - NOVEMBER 20, 6:30 – 10:30 PM
 
Why: Please join us as we celebrate a successful fundraising drive in our first year of serving Sturbridge seniors. 100% of all proceeds go directly towards Sturbridge senior energy assistance. All event costs are being shared by individual members of the REAS Foundation with support from the Public House, Yankee Spirits, and others.

How Much: $35.00 per person  /  $50.00 per couple

RSVP: 508-434-4614
info@reasfoundation.org

The REAS Foundation is pleased to announce that Southbridge Credit Union has joined the REAS Foundation as a member of our Associate Board of Directors. Citing the “need to expand our capability, in order to provide additional energy assistance resources to seniors, Thomas J. Smalarz - President and Chief Executive Officer of Southbridge Credit Union – acknowledged that Daniel Matte, an SCU Board member “would serve as SBU’s representative”.

Demonstrating their commitment to be a part of the solution, Mr. Smalarz (far left in photo) and Dan Matte (far right in photo) presented REAS Board Chairman Scott Garieri, (2nd from right in photo) and Vice-Chairman Jim Malloy (2nd from left in photo) with a $1250.00 donation, on behalf of Southbridge Credit Union.

REAS Board Chairman Scott Garieri “welcomed the partnership between SCU and the REAS Foundation” and expressed his “gratitude on behalf of the organization for SCU’s willingness to play such a meaningful role in addressing the needs of our seniors”.

Vice-Chairman Jim Malloy, thanked SCU for its “generous commitment to our senior community and its willingness to maintain on ongoing role as a member of our Board. This strengthens our ability to provide meaningful assistance to Sturbridge seniors in need of energy assistance”, Mr. Malloy added.

“We are honored to be partnering with SCU, and are grateful for their commitment to this endeavor. They have expanded our ability to serve Sturbridge seniors in need, and have surely demonstrated their dedication to our community”, said Thomas R. Creamer - Executive Director of the REAS Foundation.

Mr. Matte expressed his “excitement to be a part of such a meaningful grassroots effort that is already providing very real solutions to the very real challenges faced by seniors. Mr. Matte went on to say that he “is proud to be representing SCU as part of the REAS team”.

The donation from Southbridge Credit Union pushes the REAS Foundation up to 118% of its fundraising goal for 2008.

BENEFIT BUFFET AND FUNDRAISER
DEBBIE (FORD) DAVIAU

DEBBIE HAS BEEN FIGHTING BREAST CANCER FOR ALMOST A DECADE NOW. SHE, HER HUSBAND KEVIN AND FAMILY HAVE TRIED  SO HARD TO KEEP HER FIGHTING BUT THEY ARE NOW SEEKING YOUR HELP TO GET THEM THROUGH THIS TOUGH TIME.

THIS BENEFIT IS TO HELP RAISE MONEY TO DEFRAY THE RISING COSTS OF HER NEEDING TO GET TO WORCESTER MANY TIMES A WEEK, PRESCRIPTION COPAYS, TIME OUT OF WORK AND GENERAL EXPENSES THAT SEEM TO KEEP BUILDING WHILE THEY SPEND MORE TIME AT DOCTORS APPOINTMENTS AND HOSPITALS.

OCTOBER IS BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH AND WHAT BETTER WAY TO SHOW YOUR SUPPORT THAN TO HELP SOMEONE WHO IS SO IN NEED OF IT. SHE HAS LIVED, WORKED AND RAISED A FAMILY HERE, WE SHOULD TRY OUR BEST TO TAKE CARE OF OUR OWN AND SHE IS ONE OF US.

HER FUNDRAISER IS SATURDAY NOVEMBER 1ST FROM 2 - 6 PM AT TJ O’BRIENS. WE HAVE TICKETS FOR SALE AT $20.00 PER PERSON FOR THE BUFFET. WE WILL HAVE A RAFFLE TABLE AND ARE HOPING THAT DEB WILL BE UP TO BEING THERE TO THANK THE MANY OF YOU WHO HAVE AND WILL HELP HER IN THIS COURAGEOUS BATTLE.

                TICKETS AVAILABLE AT TJ O’BRIENS, RTE. 20, or DICK FORD AT 508-320-5019 or TRISH BOURASSA AT 774-230-0174

Any Help would be greatly appreciated,

Regards Trish Bourassa

A second anonymous donor has stepped forward to issue yet another 1K Challenge. Citing the desire to “do as much as we can”, this new challenge will make it possible for the REAS Foundation (on your behalf), to help an additional five qualifying Sturbridge seniors with energy costs.

For every donation received (regardless of size), in direct response to this additional 1K Challenge, the sponsor of this challenge will match it dollar for dollar, up to a grand total of one thousand dollars. As was our practice with the previous 1K Challenge, the REAS Foundation will only count those donations specifically designated as 1K donations towards this new challenge. This enables us to maintain the spirit of the 1K Challenge. 

In response to this challenge, we will be implementing a new graph on the front page of our website, which will display a figure representing a senior for each $400 received in combined donations. This amount represents the mid-range grant award issued by the REAS Foundation on your behalf.

So, let the challenge begin and let’s see just how quickly we can get those figures up on our front page.

Thomas R. Creamer - Executive Director

There is much that could be said about the immense compassion Sturbridge residents have exhibited in support of its seniors. Great stories could be written about the amazing fellowship we’ve all been witness to here in Sturbridge. No doubt, one could easily exhaust a thesaurus, detailing the unparalleled generosity demonstrated these past months.

Yet nothing is as poignant, nor as telling, as the sentiments and words expressed by those you’ve helped. Nothing better conveys the overwhelming sense of desperation replaced now with hope, due solely to the compassion of Sturbridge residents helping their own. At the very moment you settle to read this, there is the quickened beat of grateful hearts that rumbles throughout Sturbridge. It is a sound that grows louder each day, as those seniors whose burden you’ve lightened, breathe a sigh of relief.

Though strangers we may be, it is indisputable that we are all neighbors within this wonderful community; as such we are intrinsically linked to one another. Each of you who has participated in this great endeavor should take pause to reflect upon the amazing act of compassion you are party to. For you, each and every one of YOU, are the only reason that hope has replaced despair for many Sturbridge seniors; evidenced in the words of those you’re helping. Some express their sentiments in the simplest of terms, others a are a bit more expressive; all are powerfully revealing. 

“What great news, this is fantastic, last year we went without hot water because it was cheaper, we won’t have to do that again, this is going to really help.”

“Oh, my…thank you! This is wonderful, wonderful news.”

“Thank you so very much. I’m not sure what we would have done. My God, thank you so very much.”

“This is so wonderful. I’ve done everything I can to pinch every penny. I make sure to count my meals and only buy what I absolutely have to. It was so hard to ask for help, but I’m at the end of my rope.”

“I want to thank you for what you’ve done. I’ve never had to ask for help before but I can’t watch my sweet wife struggle through another winter trying to stay warm. She’s made a darn good life for me and I can’t bear her suffering through the cold again. I just can’t. This will change so much for us.”

“I really have tried to cut back on everything. I’m extra careful to make sure I only use the two front rooms and I keep the thermostat at 64 degrees. I even use the stove sometimes to take the chill out of my bones along with a few bowls of soup or hot cereal a day. And I always make sure to bundle up with some sweaters I’ve collected. Then when the warm weather comes I get to eat a bit more since I don’t have to put so much aside for the oil man. I’m so thankful and I promise not to go wasting people’s money by turning my heat up. It’s really nice of people to do this and I wouldn’t want to insult anyone by wasting their money. Maybe they won’t mind so much if I squeeze in an extra meal during the week every now and again.” 

“One day last week after paying bills, I found I didn’t have enough money for food. So one night last week I ate only instant mashed potatoes for dinner. The next day I ate just cooked rice for dinner with no breakfast. I would like to thank all of you involved for your help.”

What an incredible honor it is for us at the REAS Foundation to be given the privilege of doing this work on your behalf. We are grateful that you have allowed us to be a part of this magnificent act of love, and fully understand the incredible responsibility we have to each of you as donors, to make sure we do this right.

Each of us at the REAS Foundation fully understand that the grants awarded to Sturbridge seniors are so awarded because of your kindness, your generosity, and your donations. We are distributing your money and you have graciously entrusted us with the honor of doing so. We thank you for allowing us the opportunity to share in the gratitude, expressed by those you’ve helped.

Thomas R. Creamer - Executive Director

REAS Foundation