WHAT WE DO
Work in North Central MA’s most underserved areas with a focus on fresh healthy food access and the natural environment. Support and manage 5 Community Teaching Gardens with over 75 gardeners. Teach students about the connection between food, health and the environment through. Teaching Garden for Kids (TG4K). Manage two farmers markets and promote federal nutrition programs. Connect residents living in urban environments to trees and green space.

OUR IMPACT

• GARDENS – YOUTH
  Average fruits and veggies consumed daily doubled!
  97% of kids want to eat healthier in the future!
• FARMERS MARKET
  Increased SNAP usership at the Fitchburg Farmers Market by 720% in 2017!
• GARDENS – ADULTS
  70% of gardeners report being more knowledgeable about the connection between food and the environment.
• VOLUNTEERS
  190 volunteers gave 634 hours of their time.

WANT TO GET INVOLVED IN YOUR COMMUNITY?
CONNECT WITH GP!
CUSTOMIZE YOUR SPONSORSHIP!
GIVE $200 | $150 | $100 | $50
CHOOSE!
• Social media recognition
• Company name/logo on electronic and print marketing
• Tickets to annual harvest event
• Signage in the community
• Farmers market tokens for employees/customers

CONACT: DONNA MACKIE PHONE: 978.598.3723 x805 EMAIL: DONNA@GROWINGPLACES.ORG

Worcester County Gets A Great Country Craft Beer Destination

THE BREW BARN
Location: Red Apple Farm, 455 Highland Ave., Phillipston, MA 01331
Open: Friday, June 22nd through Sunday, August 12th
Hours: Fridays 3:00 till 8:00 PM, Saturdays 12:00 till 8:00 PM, Sundays 12:00 till 7:00 PM
Moon Hill Brewing Craft Beer, Red Apple Farm Cider, Barbecue, Live Music, Family Friendly, Kids’ Games, Lawn Games for Adults, Country Store, Ice Cream and Farm Animals

Al & Nancy Rose of Red Apple Farm and Rick & Katrina Walton of Moon Hill Brewing Company are collaborating to turn the Red Apple Country Barn into The Brew Barn for the summer, beginning Friday, June 22nd. The Brew Barn will be open Friday through Sunday offering eight Moon Hill beers on tap, plus a co-produced brew aptly named Rick & Al’s Apple Ale. Red Apple Farm’s barbecue will be serving up a full summer menu including their savory pulled pork, local, grass-fed beef burgers, salads and sides. A special wagon stage is being constructed for live outdoor music and 40 picnic tables will be scattered in and around The Brew Barn. The family friendly space will feature lawn games, children’s areas and fun for all ages.

Owner Al Rose of Red Apple Farm said “This is just the beginning for our two families working together. We have plans, we have

apples!” Red Apple Farm already presses plenty of sweet cider, but they now want to team up with Moon Hill to make hard cider, too. Rick Walton of Moon Hill Brewing Co. is excited about the collaboration with his neighbors. “We’ve been doing festivals with Red Apple Farm for years now, but we’ve been interested in doing something longer lasting, that leverages our strengths in the  community. The Brew Barn and our plans for hard cider will continue to bring new energy to our area of North Central Massachusetts,” explained Rick. Nancy Rose added, “Invigorating the local economy, neighbors working with neighbors, getting the country back into our lives, is what it’s all about.”

Look for craft beer, cider and live outdoor music with plenty of barbecue and family fun on summer weekends at The Brew Barn on Red Apple Farm.

 

John J. O’Brien, President & CEO  and Oscar O’Connor, Vice President of Lending of Leominster Credit Union presented Bob Healy with a check for $8,000 as the Premier Sponsor of Starburst 2018.

Starburst is the Leominster’s premier event and will take place on Saturday, June 16, with a rain date of Sunday, June 17. It will be held at Doyle Field, in the upper field located on Priest Street. The gates open at 4:30 pm and the first event will begin at 5:00 pm.  Entertainment, music and a fireworks extravaganza are all scheduled.  Donations for Starburst can be mailed to Starburst, P. O. Box 621, Leominster, MA 01453 or by calling 978-821-4072. 

 

(L-R) Oscar O’Conner, VP/LCU, Bob Healy, John J. O’Brien, President & CEO/LCU

 Founded in 1954, Leominster Credit Union (LCU) is a member-owned, not-for-profit financial cooperative with a full range of deposit, lending and other financial services. Headquartered in Leominster, Massachusetts, LCU is proud to claim nearly 50,000 members and more than $600 million in assets. LCU has seven branch locations in Leominster, Worcester, Clinton, Holden, Sterling and North Leominster with ATM services at all branch locations. LCU also provides 24 hour banking via Mobile and Online services. Visit leominstercu.com or call 800-649-4646.

Fitchburg Public Library presents Summer Reading Program!

Come join us for a summer of laughter and learning at the Fitchburg Youth Library!  Our Summer Reading Program this year will highlight a special weekly theme in our free programs and activities, including favorites like Monday and Tuesday Storytime with Ms. Jane, Pokemon Game Night, Lego Club, and Crafternoon.  Each week will also feature a photo booth where young and old can take their picture with special props for the weekly theme.  Let us show you that Libraries Rock!

Kick-Off Party – June 28, 4-6 PM:  Sign-up for the Summer Reading Program and learn about of all the exciting summer programs we have planned for you!  Lois Shorten, a teacher-naturalist from Mass Audubon will present Reading Rocks with Libraries, sponsored by the Montachusett Opportunity Council.

Our first full week (July 2-8) is Drama and Poetry week.  Join us for Poetry and Puppets at Maker Monday and practice your poetry on a Therapy Pet on Saturday morning.  Sally Cragin will be presenting Marionettes and More on Thursday with a chance for you to make your own working marionette!

Travel back in time during History Week (July 9-14).  For Maker Monday, Jessica Clarke will come show us how to use clay to make a pinch pot, and we will make log cabins, cowboys, and horses with Ms. June at Crafternoon on Tuesday.  Our photo booth will have Little House on the Prairie costumes and a Wild West Cowboy Outfit.  Tuesday evening, the ScienceTellers will take us back to the Wild West and teach us about chemical reactions, acids and bases, combustion, air pressure, inertia and much more!

Who doesn’t like to experiment? For July 16-21 the library will be filled with research and learning for Science Week!  We’ll conduct our own science experiments at Maker Monday, make a mechanical hand with Ms. June on Tuesday at Crafternoon, and meet some special canine officers to learn about their scientific powers of scent discrimination on Wednesday.  Ed the Wizard will present Alchemy Lab! Tuesday evening with magical transfigurations, vanishes and other amazing feats using everyday household items!

Since the library is chock full of Adventures – this will be our theme for the week of July 23-28.  Listen to an adventure story at lunch time on Wednesday, and travel with Bastion to Fantasia for our Friday Film Fest.  The Wingmasters will take us on an extra special adventure into the avian world in their program Music to Our Ears, How Birds of Prey Communicate on Thursday evening.

 

Calling all detectives! If you love a good mystery then the week of July 30-August 4 is the week for you!  We’ll work with invisible ink and make detective boxes at Maker Monday, and Ms. June will show us how to create a secret code decoder at Crafternoon on Tuesday.  Venture into the world of CSI with the Forensic Science Roadshow on Wednesday evening.  The Museum of Science will help us to outwit nature so that we can continue to look for clues at their Thursday program: Blizzards: Outwit the Elements.  You can go undercover with disguises at our photo booth all week!

Travel to a world far away where knights and dragons live during Fantasy week (August 6-11).  We’ll make fairy houses at Maker Monday, and it’s our Annual Prince & Princess Day at Crafternoon on Tuesday with crowns, swords, shields, and even a castle!  Sally Cragin will be back to help us create more marionettes on Thursday – this time with a Princess, a Farmhand, and a Wizard!  Make a wooden robot on Saturday (pre-registration required).  Listen to “Intergalactic P.S. 3” by Madeline L’Engle on Wednesday for lunch, and at Friday’s Film Fest enjoy the story about a girl who uses telekinesis on her parents in the 1996 film.

We all need a laugh – so this year’s Summer Reading Program ends with Comedy! Listen to Dan Gutman’s super funny “Mrs. Yonkers is Bonkers” on Wednesday for lunch and shake your sillies out at Ms. Jane’s Storytime on Monday and Tuesday mornings.  Our Wrap-Up Party with Chris and Pete’s Magic Show will be held on Thursday with lots of energy, silliness, and giggles!  Join us for an evening of laughter and fun!

Free parking is available in the lot at the corner of Boulder Drive and Newton Place.  All programs are free to the public.  For information about this or other Library programs call 978-829-1780 or visit our website: www.FitchburgPublicLibrary.org.

 Registration is now open for Habitat for Humanity North Central MA’s 6^th Annual Building Dreams Golf Tournament. The event will be held at Shaker Hills Country Club in Harvard, MA on Tuesday, September 18^th.  All proceeds from this event will benefit the work of Habitat for Humanity NCM, building and repairing affordable homes throughout the organization’s 25 towns and cities in the region.

Interested golfers can sign up as foursomes ($640), groups of three ($505), pairs ($345) or singles ($185) on Habitat NCM’s website.  Registration includes greens fee, cart, golf shirt, morning refreshments and lunch.  Each golfer will also receive a generous swag bag filled with golf accessories and snacks. The shotgun start is at 9:00 am.  Registration begins at 7:30 am. As an added incentive, all FOURSOMES that register by June 30^th will be automatically entered into a drawing for a gift card to the Shaker Hills Pro Shop.  Golfers that refer a 2ND FOURSOME will get a second chance the drawing.

Sponsorship opportunities for the event are available and local businesses and organizations are encouraged to apply early as space is limited.  Sponsorship benefits include recognition and company branding at the event and in all printed and digital releases.  Participating sponsors will also be highlighted on Habitat NCM’s website and Facebook page.  Sponsor branding will be imprinted on event giveaways and rates vary, depending on level chosen.  Sponsorship forms are available at www.ncmhabitat.org. 

Habitat for Humanity NCM thanks Leominster Credit Union (Shirt sponsor), McCarty Companies (Hat sponsor), and Rollstone Bank (Lunch sponsor) as returning Sponsors to this year’s event and encourages local businesses and individuals to sign up for event sponsorships early as opportunities are limited and available on a first come, first served basis.

Multiple Contests on the course are available to participants looking to snag bragging rights, trophies and pro shop prizes.  These include Longest Drive, Closest to the Pin, Bag of Rope, and Closest to the Flamingo.  A very special Thank You goes out to this year’s Hole-In-One Sponsor, EXIT New Options Real Estate. Prizes will be awarded to the winning foursomes at the luncheon following the tournament.

To register for the event, please visit the Habitat for Humanity North Central MA website.  Deadline to register is August 30^th.

 

Habitat for Humanity North Central Massachusetts 

Habitat for Humanity North Central Massachusetts offers a hand up, not a hand out, to hard-working, low-income central Massachusetts families seeking affordable home ownership.  It is a non-profit housing ministry that builds simple, decent houses with people in need, serving 25 towns and cities in North Central Massachusetts, including Acton, Ashburnham, Ashby, Ayer, Berlin, Bolton, Boxborough, Clinton, Fitchburg, Gardner, Groton, Harvard, Hudson, Lancaster, Littleton, Lunenburg, Leominster, Maynard, Pepperell, Princeton, Shirley, Sterling, Stow, Townsend, and Westminster.  Habitat NCM also operates the Leominster ReStore, 637 Lancaster Street (Route 117), which raises funds through the sale of discounted and recycled materials and furniture.