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From The Director
Planting the seeds of kindness... Thanks to the volunteer
The week of April 17th through the 23th is National Volunteer Week. At Elder Services, we truly believe that “volunteers plant the seeds of kindness.”
During the past year, more than 450 individuals have volunteered to serve Berkshire County elders through Elder Services. Each of these volunteers is able to match his or her expertise or area of interest with one of the many volunteer opportunities available, and to make a positive difference in someone else’s life. Through their kindness these volunteers help Berkshire elders to continue to live in their own homes with dignity and independence.
While the dollar value of volunteer hours may be difficult to accurately calculate, the impact of the volunteers themselves is nearly impossible to exaggerate. Volunteers assist Elder Services in its mission to advocate and inform by assisting with the writing, preparation, and mailing of this newspaper, and with the filming and production of Berkshire Senior TV, which tapes two shows a month. There are volunteers who provide rides to medical appointments, help with grocery shopping or provide companionship. Other volunteers help with clerical and administrative tasks at our office. Money Management volunteers help elders to sort through their bills and keep their checkbooks balanced. SHINE (Serving Health Information Needs of Elders) volunteers help elders understand health insurance information by providing impartial and unbiased information. SHINE volunteers will be even busier this year as they provide information regarding changes in Medicare and the new Part D Medicare prescription benefit. Ombudsmen volunteers visit nursing and rest home residents to receive, investigate, and resolve their concerns regarding the level of care or the quality of the services they are receiving. More than 150 volunteers assist with the preparation and delivery of Elder Services Meals on Wheels, or with the setup, service, and cleanup of the 14 meal sites located throughout Berkshire County. These volunteers provide essential support to our nutrition program, which continues to be underfunded but nevertheless, in the past year, prepared over 250,000 meals in our Lanesboro kitchen and delivered more than 194,600 of these meals to homebound elders throughout Berkshire County. During this year, the employees of three local organizations — GE Plastics, Berkshire Life, and the Brien Center for Mental Health and Substance Abuse (Northern Lights Program) — continued to volunteer through their employers to help deliver Meals on Wheels. For years, volunteers through BAROCO and Berkshire County Arc have helped with grocery shopping and delivering meals to elders. Other volunteers helped our Meals on Wheels program by helping to operate the historic popcorn wagon in Pittsfield. All proceeds from the sale of popcorn at the wagon, which was made available through the generosity of the Berkshire Bank Foundation, went directly to Meals on Wheels. And finally, our Board of Directors and Advisory Council — both comprised entirely of volunteers - ensure that Elder Services stays true to its mission to provide Berkshire elders the opportunity to live with dignity, independence and self-determination, and to achieve the highest possible quality of life.
The deeds and acts of these volunteers let an elder know that he or she matters and that someone cares enough about him or her to volunteer their time to help. Their actions say, “You are not forgotten and you are not alone.” Please join Elder Services in recognizing the valuable contribution each volunteer makes to the community whether by volunteering through Elder Services or through any other organization. We would like to thank each and every one of you. We couldn’t do it without you. Thank you.
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