Events on tap as Earth Day nears

As Earth Day approaches, the Interfaith Council of Franklin County is notifying the community about a series of celebratory events and ways to serve the planet. They are as follows:

■April 13, 8:45 a.m. to noon — “Gardening in Changing Times Symposium” at Frontier Regional School in South Deerfield with the Western Massachusetts Master Gardener Association. The cost is $40 per person. For more information, visit bit.ly/49z5Yif.

■April 15, 6 p.m. — The Garden Cinemas, 361 Main St. in Greenfield, will present Geoffrey Hudson’s oratorio “A Passion for the Planet.” The film will be followed by a get-involved fair to learn about opportunities to join the community of people working on climate solutions. Fair participants include representatives from Mothers Out Front, the Sunrise Movement, the Northeast Organic Farmers Association, Green Fields Market, the Montague Pollinator Group, Greening Greenfield and the Greenfield Department of Public Works. This is co-sponsored by the Episcopal Church of Saints James and Andrew’s Green Team and Hybrid Vigor Music. There is no charge, but any donations will go to the Massachusetts Farm Resiliency Fund.

■April 26, 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. — Plant sale organized by The RECOVER Project and its community gardening program, Garden Path, at 68 Federal St. in Greenfield.

Comerford receives Agriculture Day Award

BOSTON — Sen. Jo Comerford, D-Northampton, was honored at the State House by the Massachusetts Agriculture Promotion Board and the Massachusetts Farm Bureau Federation on April 3, receiving the Agriculture Day Award in recognition of her support for the viability and sustainability of the agriculture industry in Massachusetts.

“I am humbled and honored to receive this Agriculture Day Award from the Massachusetts Agriculture Promotion Board alongside fierce and dedicated colleagues, Speaker Pro Tempore Kate Hogan and Rep. Paul Schmid III,” Comerford said in a statement. “I am proud to be part of a Legislature that is committed to supporting the farming community and I look forward to continuing our work to build an equitable, robust and resilient food system.”

The Massachusetts Agriculture Promotion Board is the association representing the state’s leading commodity organizations, including the dairy and maple industries, the Buy Local organizations, fruit and vegetable growers, the sheep industry, the Massachusetts Nursery and Landscaping Association, and the Cheese Guild. The Massachusetts Farm Bureau Federation is a nonprofit representing more than 3,000 members across the state.

Cooley Dickinson raising money for Emergency Department upgrade

NORTHAMPTON — Cooley Dickinson Hospital has announced “Transforming Emergency Care: Campaign for Cooley Dickinson Hospital Emergency Department,” a fundraising effort to help offset the cost of a $26 million upgrade to the hospital’s Emergency Department.

The campaign goes public just as the renovation has begun. Exterior work is already visible, with cranes raising steel beams and new, larger ambulance bays beginning to take shape. The project will see the Emergency Department increase its size by 40%, with the addition of nine new patient rooms, four mental health care beds, a family waiting area and an in-unit CT scanning machine.

The campaign is being boosted by a challenge from the Harold Grinspoon Charitable Foundation, which will match each cash gift made before Aug. 31 by 50%, up to $1 million. To meet this challenge, the hospital must raise an additional $2 million from donors.

“This is an incredibly generous challenge by the Harold Grinspoon Charitable Foundation that we hope will inspire people in our community to step forward and give to help us achieve our goal,” Diane Dukette, chief development officer for Cooley Dickinson Hospital, said in a statement. “Our community has generously supported this campaign with nearly $9 million to date. Every dollar raised will stay right here at Cooley, helping create an exceptional new space for us to provide high-quality emergency care from doctors and nurses our patients trust.”’

The campaign will continue through the duration of construction, into fall 2025. To learn more or to donate, visit cooleydickinson.org/giving/campaigns-and-initiatives or call 413-582-(GIVE) 4483.