Letters to the Chronicle

Friends for the Homeless send appreciation

Just in time for the holidays, Amherst Friends for the Homeless, Inc. is distributing the results of its 14th annual Shelter Sunday community-wide appeal to raise funds for the homeless and hungry in our midst. Checks were presented this week to four area organizations dedicated to providing food, shelter, clothing and emergency aid: the Grove Street Inn, a shelter for men and women in Northampton; the Amherst Survival Center, which provides meals, clothing, household goods and groceries; Not Bread Alone, which provides weekend and holiday meals, as well as groceries and fresh produce; and First Call for Help, which provides referrals and emergency assistance.

Since Oct. 27, $26,853 has been received from residents of Amherst, Pelham and Hadley. While more than $16,000 was collected on the day of the door-to-door campaign, checks continue to arrive in the mail. The funds raised this year have topped last year's high by over $10,000.

Organizers attribute their success to the support from 300 volunteers and the generosity of area residents. In addition, Florence Savings Bank underwrote the operating expenses, including a new banner to hang in the center of town. Every year, several organizations from the University of Massachusetts supply large numbers of canvassers to ensure a successful campaign. Students in fraternities and sororities at UMass supplied 152 volunteers. Alpha Chi Omega sorority and two fraternities, Delta Epsilon and Sigma Phi Epsilon, sent over 25 volunteers each. Over 87 students in the Boltwood Project, a UMass community service project through which students earn college credit, also participated in Shelter Sunday. These students joined with volunteers from local faith communities, service organizations, individuals and families.

Amherst Friends for the Homeless, Inc. thanks everyone for their participation and support. To make a donation, send checks to Amherst Friends for the Homeless, Inc., P. O. Box 1071, Amherst, MA 01004-1071.

AARON BOUSEL
president,
Amherst Friends for the Homeless, Inc.

Local businesses thanked for support

Come into the Student Union on any given Monday evening and you will see UMass student parents and their young children enjoying delicious dinner entrees donated by local businesses. Stay a little longer and you will see these parents smile as they leave their young children in the care of UMass students who provide the children with supervised play activities while their parents participate in parenting skills workshops. This is the program Dinner on Us, sponsored by UMass and the Commuter Services and Housing Resource Center (CSHRC), and it would not be possible without generous donations from local businesses.

Student parent Lynn Hatch says, "In light to recent budget cuts at the University and the general slowdown of our state's economy, the donations being made by local businesses are even more amazing. I know that this program has made me a better parent and I am very appreciative of it."

The Black Sheep, La Cucina di Pinocchio and Panda East each donated entrees for up to 30 student parents and their children who participated in Dinner on Us each week of the semester.

One Saturday morning each month in the Student Union Craft Center, student parents and their children ages 3-7 created butterfly puppets, masks, gourd creatures, Japanese gift packages and candleholders from supplies donated by local businesses. The Art Cycles program, also sponsored by CSHRC and UMass, received donations from Annie's Garden and Gift Store, Hadley Garden Center, Lots for Littles, Design Supply Studio and the University Store.

ASHLEIGH SULLIVAN
Commuter Services and
Housing Resource Center