Berkshire Senior Online

Rita Clifford

By Sandra Alfonso, Nutrition Services Supervisor

Rita Clifford has been volunteering for Elder Services for nine years. She volunteers five days a week dishing up and packaging for 220 Northern Berkshire elders. She also fills in as a Congregate Lunch Site Director at the Spitzer Center in North Adams and helps with the Brown Bag Program once a month.

Clifford attended St. Francis Xavier School in Vermont. At 16, she started her first job at Sprague Electric Company in North Adams, where she worked for 20 years. She has 3 children, 8 grandchildren, and 7 great grandchildren, and is expecting to be a great, great grandmother this May.

SA: Rita, please tell us some of the things you find rewarding as a volunteer.

RC: Volunteering takes me out of the house, gives me a chance to work with a lot of nice people, and also gives me a chance to help people who really need help.

SA: What are some of the challenges you face as a volunteer?

RC: Making sure that portions are correct so that there is enough food and the right amount for all 220 people. I also find it a challenge to have the meals packaged and ready for the Meals on Wheels when they arrive to pick them up to take to those on their routes.

SA: We really appreciate all you do as a volunteer for Elder Services. What other interests do you have?

RC: I really love to do plastic canvas crafts. It gives me the opportunity to make some lovely gifts for people.

SA: Would you be willing to share some little known facts about yourself with our readers?

RC: I am Vice President of the Jolly Circle Women’s Group and Vice President of the High Rise Association and belong to the Rosary Society of St. Francis Church in North Adams.

SA: Out of the four seasons here in the Berkshires, which one do you enjoy most?

RC: I love spring. It’s like a new beginning, and it always makes me feel so alive. I also love the flowers.

SA: What are you most grateful for?

RC: I am most grateful for my family. They mean the world to me.