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Date: 12/5/2023
MONSON — The Monson Select Board approved a $1,500 donation from the Gifts to the Town Account to nonprofit Friends of Monson to help fund its annual toy drive.
Friends of Monson members Karen Davis and Kristine Duval presented the request along with Town Clerk Mary Watson during the Select Board’s Nov. 28 meeting. They explained that the drive will support a greater number of children this year, which their current donations cannot fund.
“Typically, every year we average around 75 kids total, including who we get from the school. It’s not December yet and we are at 71. We haven’t heard from the school yet either,” Duval explained. “So, we’re a little nervous.”
The Monson Toy Drive is a yearly program that provides gifts to local children for the holiday season. It is run by Monson Public Schools, the Town of Monson and the Friends of Monson, Watson said. She explained in an interview that the process begins when families in need contact the organizations with an item wish list. From there, the items are recorded on tags placed as ornaments on a tree at Monson Town Hall.
While most donations will be used to purchase the requested items, the remaining funds will be divided into gift cards from a local grocery store to provide extra assistance to the families, Watson stated.
“In the past we’ve just taken donations whether it’s monetary or gifts and each year we use those donations because there is such a need,” Watson said.
The board unanimously supported the request with Select Board member Peter Warren even offering additional funds if the organizations needed it to provide for every child in the program.
“Honestly, I can’t think of anything better,” Select Board Chair Patricia Oney said while discussing the requested funds.
Donated toys should be delivered to the Town Clerk Office or 24 Green St. by Dec. 15 with its appropriate tag attached. This will assist with matching the toys to the correct family and disbursing them in a timely manner, Duval and Watson stated. Monetary donations can also be addressed to Friends of Monson.
If a family in need would like to participate in the toy drive, contact the Town Clerks Office by phone at 413-267-4115 or by email at townclerk@monson-ma.gov. Requests can also be made through Facebook at Hugs from Monson Toys & Senior Donations.
House of Art Oversight Committee
During the meeting, the Select Board also discussed the creation of an oversight committee for the restoration of the House of Art.
The committee will include Warren, Building Commissioner Justin Larivee, Monson Arts Council member David Dupuis, MAC Vice President Reed Coles and MAC President Alan Morin, according to Town Administrator Jennifer Wolowicz. However, the committee can be flexible to accept anyone who it determines is necessary, she said.
While the committee will not be official, it will allow the group to begin the process of accessing the House of Art’s current state and planning what changes need to be completed, Wolowicz stated.
Currently, the project has about $6,000 in donations as well as two additional pledged donations, she said. As a result, the committee should prepare a list of priorities and work with the Community Preservation Committee to prepare requests for the annual Town Meeting in the spring.
In the long term, the committee could also include residents while working to finalize a lease agreement and searching for additional grant funds, Oney said.
Coles highlighted multiple projects that the organization is looking to complete including painting the building and making it more accessible.
“I think it’s going to become a really fine building with your assistance from everybody and we’re going to keep blowing out some really great events,” he said.