Here are some brief thoughts on recent happenings in Franklin County and the North Quabbin region.
As they’ve done many times, Deputy Police Chief William Gordon and Clarence the comfort dog were on hand to help people deal with loss — this time the death of Capitol police officer William “Billy” Evans in Washington, D.C.
But Clarence had an unexpected meetup with President Joe Biden that included a caress and a kiss on the snout from the commander-in-chief.
Gordon was invited to the Capitol by K-9 First Responders, a group he and his comfort dogs have been a member of for several years.
“I was posted in an alcove outside of the Rotunda, where Evans’ body lay,” he said. “I was probably 50 feet away from his body and 25 feet from the president. I didn’t expect that he would come through the alcove to leave, but that’s what happened. When the services ended, they asked me to step aside so the president could move through.”
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer walked through first.
Then Biden came to Clarence, caressed both of the St. Bernard’s cheeks and forehead, and then kissed him on the snout. He thanked Gordon and shook his hand before leaving.
Biden, a self-proclaimed dog lover, lives with two German shepherds named Major and Champ.
We live in an area where people are so willing to help others. And once again that was the case last weekend in Bernardston, where a “Fill-A-Truck” drive filled a Highway Department vehicle with 2,020 pounds of food, and over $11,000 was donated to benefit the Senior Center’s food pantry.
The food drive was organized by the Highway Department and Council on Aging. Area residents stopped by the Powers Institute on Saturday morning to drop off donations.
“I was so impressed by the community response,” Council on Aging Director Hayley Bolton said. “There are so many people dedicated to helping end food insecurity. We met our goal and then some.”
Donors for Saturday’s food drive included: Franklin County Sheriff’s Office TRIAD program, Bernardston Police Relief Association, Summit Ice, Bernardston Self Storage, Valley Concrete, Hubbard Heating and Cooling, Carovail Fertilizer and individuals.
People leaving incarceration will be given a backpack filled with basic supplies — and words of encouragement — to help them make the transition to life outside, thanks to the Franklin County Transition From Jail to Community Task Force.
The task force is part of the Franklin County Resource Network, a program of Community Action Pioneer Valley. The task force of community members was created to help people who are leaving the jail have a successful re-entry into the community.
The “Love in a Backpack” project, originally started by St. John’s Episcopal Church in Ashfield, provides such basics as toiletries, snacks, journals, hand sanitizer and face masks, all donated by community members through a supply and fund drive.
Recently, volunteers and employees of the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office gathered at the Green River Swimming and Recreation Area to fill 50 backpacks that will be given to people being released from the Franklin County Jail and House of Correction.
Mary McClintock, the community collaboration coordinator with Community Action Pioneer Valley, noted the previous year they only filled 25 backpacks.
Students at Franklin County Technical School with an affinity for animals have the opportunity to pursue a career with them via the school’s vet technician program.
Animal science was introduced in fall 2019 — the first new shop class since the school opened in 1976.
The program aims to give students hands-on experience working with animals and using professional-grade lab equipment. When they graduate, students are certified to either work as a veterinarian’s assistant or to pursue advanced education to become a veterinarian or veterinary technician.
The program’s teacher is Sherry Holt, a doctor of veterinary medicine who previously worked at zoos, taught at the University of Massachusetts and had a veterinary practice in Nantucket for 20 years. During a recent class, Holt brought in Alba, her 14-year-old dog.
Holt said Alba helps students understand that animals, like humans, each have unique temperaments — a key to being successful working with them. “You’ve got to look at them individually,” she said.
Currently, the program is situated in a repurposed part of the school building, but there are plans for a new 4,800-square-foot structure on campus, which would include outdoor pens for holding the animals. And part of that construction will be handled by students — another hands-on learning experience.