Helga Promotes AGAWAM CLEAN

Helga & Agawam's DPW are promoting Agawam's Second Annual Town-Wide Clean-Up called AGAWAM CLEAN during the month of May and we need your help!!!

Here's why:

• Many of Agawam's streets are littered with trash.

Trash from a Feeding Hills Street

• This trash is harmful to pets and wildlife.

Puppies eat trash, especially if it is a food wrapper.

• This trash may enter storm drains and flow directly into our streams, rivers and finally into the ocean contributing to Ocean Garbage Patches.

A dead albratross that ate plastic from the ocean mistaking it for food.
Photo credit:www.ChrisJordan.com

Here's how you can help.

• Pick an area (small or large) that is littered and register your area with the DPW at 821-0624.

• Bring a bag or two and wear gloves.

• Join others  and clean up that area.

• Take before and after photos of that area and send them to agawam.ma.us/DPW and also share them with others via social media.

• Consider adopting your area and keeping it clean all year.

• Ask other residents, businesses, and civic organizations to join.

• Consider saving old bags that you would normally throw out (such as large dog food bags) and use them as trash bags to save resources.

• Put bagged trash with your weekly trash pick-up. If the trash is from a local business, ask that business if you may use their dumpster.

• If you have any metal items to move, call Mr. T's Trash Removal at 413-205-7082.
• Many Agawam students are planning a cleanup.

• If you don't live in Agawam, organize a cleanup where you live and name it "YOUR TOWN" CLEAN.

A litter free town is possible when we change the current culture to AGAWAM CLEAN. There are a number of beautiful litter-free places thoughout out the world and Agawam can be one of them. Let's put Agawam on that litter-free  map.

Volunteers Needed

Volunteers are needed for 2 separate Connecticut River Cleanups in Western Massachusetts on Saturday, April 23 at 9AM.  You may meet at one of the locations below:

1. Pynchon Point on River Road in Agawam
2. Parking area on the North side of Meadow Street, across from Westfield Music School, Westfield

For more information, go to westfieldriver.org  For information about other cleanups in your area, go to ctriver.org or search "Earth Day Cleanups 2016." Add your city and state to narrow your search.

Trash Talkin' with Nancy (and Helga)

In honor of Earth Day, Helga and I are delivering a powerful presentation about ways to reduce our trash footprints. This free event will take place at the Agawam Public Library on Tuesday, April 12th at 7PM.Click on the link below to see more information and to sign up:
Trash Talkin' with Nancy (and Helga)  

If this link fails, go to agawamlibrary.org, click on events/activities, scroll down to this event.

Helga Donates Used Christmas Cards to St. Jude's Recycled Card Program

Give greeting cards another life by donating them to St. Jude's Ranch for Children "Recycled Card Program."  St. Jude's Mission:  "Transforming the lives of abused and at-risk children, young adults and families by empowering them to create new chances, new choices and new hope in a caring community." 

See below for information from https://stjudesranch.org/ 

All occasion greeting cards are accepted year round. (Thank you, birthday, holiday, Christmas, sympathy, religious, Thanksgiving, etc.)

Give your used cards a second life.

Check the back: Hallmark, Disney, or American Greeting cards can not be accepted.

• Only the card front can be used (Please check to be sure the backside of the front of the card is clear of any writing.)  Children at the Ranch remove the front of the card and attach a new back to create a beautiful new card. 
• 5″ x 7″ size or smaller is preferred
• To mail large quantities in the least expensive way, use a USPS (United States Post Office) Flat Rate Box (available at your local Post Office), which holds up to 70 pounds
• Mail donations to:
  St. Jude’s Ranch for Children
  Recycled Card Program
  100 St. Jude’s Street
  Boulder City, NV 89005