Plenty of toys, clothing and other goods are making their way through the Hilltowns of western Massachusetts. WAMC spoke with the group behind the effort, and how their mission goes well-beyond the holidays.
The historic St. Thomas Church in Huntington was filled to the brim with rows of coat racks, boxes of toys and tables loaded with books, dollhouses and more this week.
Where once were pews was practically a department store — an all-out effort to give families throughout the region a chance to have gifts to give during the holiday season — put on by the nonprofit organization, It Takes a Village.
One of the largest basic needs supply programs in western Massachusetts, organizers say the Village Closet Family Resource Center provides throughout the year, connecting approximately $713,000 in basic needs supplies with nearly 10,000 individuals in 2023 alone.
On Thursday, following days of families stopping by appointment, the center opened its doors to the public for the a special “Holiday Shopping Day.”
Speaking with WAMC a few days prior, members of the group described how the Hilltowns region is still hurting from the closure of paper mills and other manufacturers over the last few decades.
Come December, a combination of financial hardship and isolation in the rural area for some can lead to parents arriving under intense need and stress, says program coordinator Tara Balboni.
“… we had another person who came in, who is in the middle of a very complex domestic situation, and she was in the midst of making a sudden move and she needed not only holiday things, but other items that we could help with in a pinch,” she said. “We were able to really just shift gears quickly and help her feel, not only supplied - she didn’t even have a diaper for her child. We were able to get her back on track, leaving feeling like she had a good start to this next chapter.”
“There are some towns that don’t have high-speed internet or cell service here - very little services in terms of healthcare or supermarkets, no public transportation, and so, people become extremely isolated, and that isolation can cause or help contribute to mental health crises,” executive director Lisa Goding explained. “It's hard to sort of break out of poverty in these areas, and so, this type of service is particularly needed in this area.”
The Village Closet event alone is expected to provide toys for at least 500 children, according to Goding.
Both she and Balboni tell WAMC while their 6,000 square foot facility can be found in Huntington, a Hampshire County town of about 2,000, the group also often takes its services on the road in the rural area.
“All year-round, we're able to provide basic needs for families, individuals who need care … basic needs, for through maternity all the way through what it takes to raise a child, we have all [the] gear anybody's going to need,” Balboni said. “In the programs group, I do a lot of outreach in the community in different groups, reaching out, doing pop-ups, going to literacy events, things like that - bringing our work into the community so that we don't have to only rely on people coming to us but we can help them.”
Dozens of volunteers take part, as well, she adds – from a core group of ten to about 30 who help when they can, plus some 20 home visit volunteers.
Free postpartum care is one of the group’s biggest offerings, with its Home Visit Program offering postpartum, in-home support for households in need.
That, and diapers, says Goding.
“Nearly half of the families in Massachusetts struggle to pay for diapers - we're the only diaper bank in the Hilltowns,” she explained. “We also have the opportunity to work with the federal government - there's a national diaper pilot program that's going on right now, so we've enrolled families in this area, and we provide 100 diapers and two packages of wipes each month, for up to 18 months, for families.”
Kara Rosseau, a local teacher and volunteer, says the previous church was always a community gathering place. Through the nonprofit that now occupies it, it’s just as essential as ever.
She adds that every donated item helps.
“The way kids grow out of things so fast, it's so hard to keep up and the cost of living, as we all know, keeps going up, but most of our pays do not, so this is just a huge way to take away the essentials,” she said. “From a pregnant mom to nursing stuff to bottles and formula and diapers, from package diapers to cloth diapers - we provide it all. All of the expensive baby equipment and things like that. We go through and inspect it all, and [families] can come and find us, know that they can find the stuff that they need.”
More information on It Takes a Village can be found here.
—
UPDATE: Following this story's original airing, WAMC has been informed It Makes a Village surpassed its initial estimate of 500 children being served, reaching a figure of approximately 650 during the 2024 toy giveaway.
