Library and Community News

City is Distributing Homemade Cloth Face Coverings

From the May 14 City Press Release:

Last month, Framingham began collecting donated homemade cloth face coverings, and the City is now distributing them. To encourage
social distancing, the City will distribute the coverings through a variety of established channels:

  • The Callahan Center for older adults
  • The Framingham Public Schools (involved with the Food Donation Program) for students, and community organizations for their clients.
  • Individuals who wish to request a face covering can call the Framingham Emergency Operations Center at (508) 532-5800.

Distribution information is available in Portuguese and Spanish. Guidance from the Health Department on how to properly wash, wear, and remove cloth face coverings is available here.

NEW EVENT: Senior Conversation Hour

Senior Conversation Hour posterWe are excited to introduce a new program for our seniors! Join Marcy and Helen for a casual discussion about topics of interest and connect with fellow seniors. This month, we chat about your favorite book or movie. We are holding two sessions to accommodate those with and without internet access:

  • Wednesday, May 27, 1pm (video session). Seniors with access to the internet and are comfortable with Zoom. Limited to 10 participants.

  • Thursday, May 28, 11am (audio only). Seniors with no access to the internet. Limited to 10 participants.

To RSVP: 

To attend the Internet video session on Wednesday, May 27, email your name and phone number to fplseniorhour@gmail.com. We will reply to confirm your attendance and provide you with instructions for linking to the session.

To attend the no Internet audio only session on Thursday, May 28, call the Library main number, 508-532-5570, and enter the extension 4362 at any time. Leave a message with your name and phone number. We will call you back to confirm your attendance and provide you with the number to call on the day of the event.

We hope you will join us!

Food Resources for Those Experiencing Food Insecurity

Food and Donation Information from City of Framingham The Mayor's Office and the Framingham Public Schools are working with local food providers to coordinate food access and/or delivery to Framingham residents. The generosity of Framingham is demonstrated by several new resources added to the Food and Donation Information Page. The City recognizes that some residents are experiencing extreme food emergencies and cannot reach the resources noted on the page.. A Food Emergency phone number has been set up. Every effort will be made to meet the needs of these emergencies. Someone having an extreme food emergency is defined as a person who:

  • Has no ability to access other food resources in Framingham.
  • Has no formal or informal networks of support for help getting food.

Please call (508) 532-5479 for food emergencies only.

Zoom Community Hour: Framingham Businesses Amid the Pandemic

Tuesday, May 12, 5-6 p.m.

Mayor Spicer, Framingham's Community and Planning Development Director Kevin Shea; Downtown Framingham, Inc. Executive Director Courtney Thraen; MetroWest Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Jim Giammarinaro; and the City's Economic Development and Industrial Corporation Chair Doug Lawrence will talk about how businesses are faring in Framingham amid COVID-19 and what programs the City has established to support them. Attendees will be able to pose questions during the hour via Zoom's Chat function. If people cannot attend and have questions, please email kmcfalls@framinghamma.govundefined with the subject line: May 12 Community Hour. Click here for information on how to join. A video recording of the Zoom will be available following for those who cannot attend.
 

How To Avoid COVID-19 Scams: Free Webinar For Masssachusetts Residents & Businesses

Better Business Bureau logoMassachusetts residents are invited to a FREE 60-minute webinar on Tuesday, May 12, 2020, from 1pm to 2pm, to learn about COVID-19 scams that are affecting business owners and community members across the state.

Office of Consumer Affairs Massachusetts logoThe webinar will be led by Amy Schram, Community Relations Manager with the Better Business Bureau, and Robin Putnam, Special Projects Manager with the Massachusetts Office of Consumer Affairs.

Schram and Putnam will discuss many of the scams that have emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic and share resources that will help residents and business owners protect themselves from fraudsters. Questions from the audience will be answered at the end of the webinar.

The webinar, which will be hosted on the Zoom platform, is sponsored by the Tewksbury Public Library. Registration is required. Please register with the library at www.tinyurl.com/tewksburywebinar or by contacting Community Outreach Librarian/Head of Technical Services Robert Hayes at 978-640-4490 x 205 or rhayes@tewksburypl.org.

Live Chat Times for Children’s Services

silhouette image of child readingBeginning the week of May 11, our Children's Librarians will be on the chat line Mondays, Wednedays, and Fridays, from 3-5pm. If you need help finding a good book or resource for children, have a chat session during one of these times. (Note that questions for all age groups are welcome at any time Monday through Friday, 9am-5pm.)

To start a Chat session, click the blue chat icon at the bottom of our website:

City Launches a New Mental Health and Substance Use Resource Page

On Tuesday, May 5, Mayor Yvonne M. Spicer hosted a virtual Community Hour (watch below) focused on mental health and substance use disorder amid COVID-19. The past several weeks have been stressful and sometimes overwhelming as we all have made changes in our daily lives to help slow the spread of the virus. It is understandable that changes like social distancing, staying at home, working and learning remotely, or even not working, bring feelings that are difficult to manage. To help, the City created a new resource page for residents to learn more about the programs and services that can support them.

For even more mental health resources, please look at the Library webpages: Hotlines, Support Groups, Self-Care Resources.

 

Call for More Face Covering Donations!

Please Donate with background of cloth masks and a heartThe City of Framingham is still collecting face coverings! So far, people have created and donated more than 500 face coverings, but MORE donations are needed!
 

Learn how to make a homemade cloth face covering from the Centers for Disease Control’s website:

Once created, please package the cloth face coverings in an envelope or plastic bag, and drop them off at the specially marked drive-up library book returns at the following locations:

  • Main Library - 49 Lexington Street

  • McAuliffe Branch Library - 746 Water Street

Remember, cloth face coverings protect you and others. Thank you for keeping us all healthy and safe!

For more information, please visit the City of Framingham's Food and Donation page.