Greenfield Savings Bank will double donations made on Wednesday to the 21st annual Hot Chocolate Run for Safe Passage. This community-driven event, set for Dec. 8, will raises money and awareness to support survivors of domestic violence through the services of Safe Passage.
As a longstanding advocate for Safe Passage, GSB will match donations up to $15,000 on “Double Your Donation Day,” taking place on Wednesday. This one-day matching event provides an opportunity for the community to double its impact and directly contribute to Safe Passage’s life-saving services for survivors of domestic violence.
Every dollar raised will go directly to Safe Passage, helping them provide vital services for those in need. To learn more about the event, sign up, or make a donation, visit hotchocolaterun.com.
NORTHAMPTON — The city’s Department of Public Works is urging the public to avoid the wetland area next to Old Springfield Road for two days after a sewer overflow on Fort Street.
The city announced on Monday that there was a broken pipe in the sewer drain system on Fort Street, leading to the discharge of untreated sewer to an outfall to a wetland near Old Springfield road. Officials said the total discharge is not possible to determine, but that the situation is resolved.
NORTHAMPTON — Through Wednesday, Nov. 27, the South Deerfield-based nonprofit Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture (CISA) invites community members to pitch a story for the live storytelling show “Field Notes,” which returns to the Academy of Music in Northampton on Saturday, Feb. 8.
According to CISA, “Field Notes” is a live storytelling event celebrating the many ways local food and farming touch our lives. All performers will have the chance to workshop their stories with a professional storytelling coach. Final stories will be around seven minutes.
Chosen storytellers will receive four complementary tickets for friends and family members, and a stipend of up to $500. Storytellers who need child care to attend “Field Notes” activities will be offered an additional stipend and transportation to in-person activities is also available for those without a vehicle. If Spanish is a storyteller’s most comfortable language, CISA will provide interpretation services during workshops and the final performance.
For more information, visit buylocalfood.org/get-involved/cisa-is-seeking-stories-about-local-farming-and-food.
HOLYOKE — The city of Holyoke has been awarded state and federal grants totaling $247,850 to fund the preparation of a comprehensive speed-management plan to bring about safer streets.
“This is extremely good news and great timing,” said Holyoke Mayor Joshua A. Garcia. “With this funding, we can work up a comprehensive, strategic approach to speed- and traffic-management throughout the City to better respond to growing concerns about speeding in neighborhoods.”
The larger of the two grants — $197,850 — came from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s “Safe Streets 4 All” program, which is part of President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Funds have been allocated to local, regional, and tribal communities to improve roadway safety and prevent deaths and serious injuries on rural and urban roads, including some of the most dangerous in the country.
A separate $50,000 grant recently was awarded by the state’s Community Compact “Best Practices” program. Garcia applied for the grant to bring about a plan or policy that, he said, “fosters safer vehicle speeds on neighborhood streets frequented by pedestrians, bicyclists, and transit users.”
The mayor intends to put together a task force that will work with a consultant over a period of months to develop a speed-management plan. Holyoke Ward 4 City Councilor Kocayne S. Givner will chair the task force.
Holyoke citizens interested in participating in the task force can apply by contacting the mayor’s office at 413-561-1600 or fays@holyoke.org.