New endowment at Cooley Dickinson for cancer patients

NORTHAMPTON — Patients being treated for cancer at Cooley Dickinson Hospital will now be eligible to receive innovative integrative therapies and support through a new Bikes Fight Cancer Patient Care Fund.

The endowment was created as part of a gift to Cooley Dickinson, totaling $70,000 to ensure comprehensive services, not currently covered by insurance, are available for patients.

In the past three years, Bikes Fight Cancer, located in western Massachusetts, has given over $175,000 to the Mass General Brigham Cancer Institute at Cooley Dickinson Hospital. This support increases access to evidence-based approaches to help manage symptoms during active treatment, connect to community and financial resources, navigate the health care system, and assist with care planning, including supports for the entire family.

The Bikes Fight Cancer Patient Care Fund was launched in December 2025. Cooley Dickinson says the fund has been able to help more patients who are experiencing financial hardship while going through cancer treatments with expenses like groceries, utility bills, housing payments and more.

Loomis Communities to host The Chowder Bowl

The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts will be the beneficiary of a competition to select a favorite chowder hosted by The Loomis Communities. The Chowder Bowl will take place on Friday, Feb. 13 at noon, free to the community with the suggested donation of a nonperishable food item to the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts.

The bowl will take place simultaneously at all three Loomis Communities the Friday following the Super Bowl with attendees participating in the taste testing event at Loomis Lakeside at Reeds Landing, 807 Wilbraham Road in Springfield; Loomis Village, 20 Bayon Drive in South Hadley; and Applewood, 1 Spencer Drive in Amherst. 

This is a reservation-based event in order for each community to plan attendance accordingly, and RSVPs can be made at www.LoomisCommunities.org/chowderbowl. 

Each community will create their version of a chowder, with all three being offered for sampling  at each of the Loomis Communities. Attendees will vote for their favorite chowder, votes will be tallied at all three communities, and the favorite will be announced. 

While no one will be denied admission to the free chowder competition, attendees are encouraged to bring a nonperishable food item to be donated to the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts.

Rep. Domb holding office hours

AMHERST — Rep. Mindy Domb, D-Amherst, will hold community office hours in the district at the following times:

  • Tuesday, Feb. 17, from 4-5 p.m., at the Granby Free Public Library, 297 East State St.
  • Tuesday, Feb. 24, from 12:30-1:30 p.m., at the Amherst Survival Center, 138 Sunderland Road.
  • Friday, Feb. 27, from 4-5 p.m., at Amherst Town Hall, 1st floor, 4 Boltwood Ave.

This is an opportunity for constituents of the Third Hampshire District to speak to the representative and her team and to share concerns and thoughts on state legislation, and to seek assistance.

There is no need to schedule an appointment, constituents can stop by anytime during the hour to speak to Domb or a member of her staff. Domb holds community office hours every month in the district and meets regularly with residents.

State recruiting organizations for Summer Eats

EVERETT — The Healey-Driscoll administration is calling on additional organizations to sponsor Summer Eats meal sites.

Summer Eats provides children 18 years of age and younger with free, healthy meals over the summer months when they no longer have access to school meals. Meal sites include schools and other community locations, from parks to summer camps.

Last summer, there were 128 sponsoring organizations supporting more than 1,100 meal sites across the state. On average, 59,000 kids received a meal daily, with 2.5 million meals being served in total.

Through Summer Eats, sponsors administer one or more summer meal sites and are responsible for all financial and administrative aspects of the program. A sponsor may be a public school district, local government agency, camp, or private nonprofit organization.

Summer Eats, formally known as the Summer Food Service Food Program, is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In Massachusetts, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) administers the program, including providing sponsors with technical support. Project Bread’s Child Nutrition Outreach Program provides Summer Eats outreach assistance. 

Many Summer Eats programs will open before July 4 and will continue serving meals through the end of August. For more information on Summer Eats, including how to become a site sponsor, call Project Bread at 617-723-5000. During the summer, families can find meal sites through Project Bread’s website.