JFK middle school students conduct clothing drive

NORTHAMPTON — A group of eighth graders at JFK Middle School is conducting a clothing drive service project for children throughout Massachusetts. The drive, which is taking place at the school, began March 31 and ends this Friday.

This project is possible through Project 351, a foundation where kids are allowed to learn leadership skills throughout their eighth and ninth grade years.

The students are encouraging people to drop off new or lightly used clothes of any size in the front of JFK, 100 Bridge Road.

Multimedia concert will benefitHurricane Helene survivors

NORTHAMPTON — A multimedia concert entitled, “Community Within Crisis: A Reflection on Hurricane Helene,” will take place on Friday, April 11, at 7:30 p.m., in Earle Recital Hall, a performance space in Sage Hall on Smith College campus.

The concert will synthesize live music, performed by Smith College students, and quotes from Hurricane Helene survivors.

The idea for the concert began when Hurricane Helene wreaked havoc in the Blue Ridge Mountains of western North Carolina. The hurricane not only destroyed infrastructure but also forced people to leave the places where they lived and worked, and cost others their lives. This climate event will have long-lasting consequences on the economic and mental well-being of its survivors.

This concert centers around themes of loss, resilience, and community. These are just a few topics that the quotes from Hurricane Helene survivors will highlight. On the program is a varied group of composers from classics like J.S. Bach to the modern composer Ludovico Einaudi and French female composer Cecil Chaminade.

Admission is free but donations are accepted for the North Carolina Community Foundation disaster relief fund. For more information see event site.

Guided vernal pool trek at Lithia Springs in South Hadley

SOUTH HADLEY— On Sunday, April 13, from 10 a.m.-12 p.m., South Hadley’s Conservation Commission and Bike/Walk Committee will host a guided trek at Lithia Springs Reservoir, a beautiful spot that once provided water to the town.

The free, family-friendly trek will be led by Brad Timm, wildlife ecologist and founder of the Northeast Wildlife Team. The leisurely guided hike will include stops at several vernal pools along the trek.

Participants of all ages and new trekkers are welcomed. Attendees will be able to take home a free copy of “A Field Guide to the Animals of Vernal Pools” and will be able to do some hands on exploring of vernal pools of the Holyoke Range. Wear clothing and footwear suitable for hiking in wet and muddy areas.

Register in advance. To access the online registration form, which includes additional details about the trek, parking, and the shuttle, go to: bit.ly/LithiaSpringsVernalPoolTrek.

Please arrive no later than 9:30 a.m. due to parking and shuttle service constraints. Trek organizers plan to leave at 10 a.m. from the Gate at 8 Lithia Springs Road (located at the end of the road). Please try to carpool as there is limited parking on Lithia Springs Road, and in the Hiker Parking Lot on Amherst Road (next door to 502 Amherst Road), which is about a half-mile from the Lithia Springs Road Gate. A 10-person school van will be available to shuttle participants from the Hiker Lot to the Gate, and back again at the end of the Trek.

Treks are subject to change or cancellation due to weather or ground conditions. Please be sure to check the Bike/Walk page on the Town website for any cancellation notices or other information: www.southhadley.org/bikewalk. Should there be a cancellation decision, information will be posted online by 8 p.m. the night before the hike.

Homework House lands grant from Food is Medicine program

AMHERST — The UMass Amherst Food is Medicine Program recently awarded $1,000 to Homework House in Holyoke to provide healthy snacks and nutritional education to youth living in economically disadvantaged neighborhoods who will attend the free after-school tutoring program.

The grant was one of six awarded to community groups that address hunger, nutrition and food insecurity among vulnerable populations.

The multidisciplinary program at UMass represents a collaboration among Food is Medicine representatives from the School of Public Health and Health Sciences, the Elaine Marieb College of Nursing and the Department of Food Science and the UMass Dining Services.