May 17, 2020
~ Building Community One Positive Story at a Time
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Teacher Appreciation Week
Administrators of the West Bridgewater Public Schools gave special thanks in a special way to its teachers on Tuesday May 5th. Thank you for all you do for OUR kids!
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Historical Tidbit:
World War II Rationing Stamps
Back of booklet: "Rationing is a vital part of your country's war effort. Any attempt to violate the rules is an effort to deny someone his share and will create hardship and help the enemy. This book is your Government's assurance of your right to buy your fair share of certain goods made scarce by war. Price ceilings have also been established for your protection.
Dealers must post these prices conspicuously. Don't pay more. Give your whole support to rationing and thereby conserve our vital goods. Be guided by the rule: If you don't need it, DON'T BUY IT."
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Rationing Book of Richard Alexander, courtesy of Margaret Alexander
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Items were rationed because of shortages in the rubber and metal industries. Because trucks using rubber tires delivered processed goods, anything processed was rationed. As of February 1942, all metal work was converted to producing tanks, aircraft, weapons, and other military products, with the United States government as the only customer and so there was no longer available: metal office furniture, typewriters, radios, phonographs,
refrigerators, vacuum cleaners, washing machines, and sewing machines.
Civilians first received ration books - War Ration Book Number One, 4 May 1942, through more than 100,000 school teachers, PTA groups, and other volunteers. A national speed limit of 35 miles per hour was imposed to save fuel and rubber for tires. Each person in a household received a ration book, including babies and small children who qualified for canned milk not available to others. To receive a gasoline ration, a person had to prove they owned no more than 5 tires, the extras would be confiscated.
April 1, 1942, anyone wishing to purchase a new toothpaste tube, then made from metal, had to turn in an empty one. On May 5, the US was rationed to 1/2 pound of sugar per person per week. Coffee was rationed nationally on 29 November 1942 to 1 pound every five weeks. By the end of 1942, rationing was in place for typewriters, gasoline, bicycles, footwear, silk, nylon, fuel oil, stoves, meat, lard, shortening and oils, cheese, butter, margarine, processed foods (canned, bottled, and frozen), dried fruits, canned milk, firewood, and coal, jams, jellies, and fruit butter.
Life Magazine, 1941-1942 Google books
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Town Hall
508-894-1200
Check town website for needed updates.
WB Public Library
508-894-1255
Council on Aging
508-894-1262
1st & 3rd Wednesday each month
3:15 - 5p
Spring Street School
2 Spring St, WB
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We are Hiring:
A Message From Jacquie
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Congratulations!
Monica Armstrong
won
$15 gift certificate to Pinches & Pounds Candy Store Rt 18, Whitman!
You should play our
Historical Tidbit Trivia Game
at the bottom of this newsletter.
You could win a
One Free Embodyment® Yoga at Bliss Through Yoga once we open back up. Located at Physical Therapy U
75 Scotland Blvd, Bridgewater.
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Tuesdays at 11a
Join us for some stress-reducing belly laughs! It's Laughter Yoga Tuesday with WBPL Director Ellen Snoeyenbos.
Photo & story credits:
West Bridgewater Public Library
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Now offering Disinfectant Fogging & HEPA Vacuuming Services!
As small businesses start to return to work, HEPA vacuuming is an effective way to take the cleaning and sanitation precautions necessary for a safe environment.
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Massachusetts Re-Opening
The Baker-Polito Administration announced 5/11/20 a four-phase approach to reopening the Massachusetts economy amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, and published Mandatory Workplace Safety Standards that will apply across all sectors and industries once reopening begins.
Businesses and activities that provided “COVID-19 Essential Services,” per Governor Baker’s March 23
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order, will continue to operate. Certain businesses and activities with a lower risk of COVID-19 transmission will open in earlier phases. Decisions and timing will be influenced by public health metrics for when the first phase of reopening begins, as well as when it is safe to move into concurrent phases.
CLICK HERE
for more information about the four-phased reopening approach.
CLICK HERE
for 5/12/20 presentation from the Reopening Advisory Board.
Additionally, the Department of Public Health (DPH) and the COVID-19 Command Center, in consultation with the Reopening Advisory Board and based on feedback from industry, labor, and community coalitions, has developed Mandatory Workplace Safety Standards to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission as employees and customers begin to return to workplaces during the first phase of reopening. These Mandatory Workplace Safety Standards are applicable to all sectors and industries that will be open in phase one, and create new workplace requirements for social distancing, hygiene, staffing and operations, and cleaning. These standards are being released to give workplaces time to plan and prepare for reopening.
CLICK HERE
for more information about the Mandatory Workplace Safety Standards.
CLICK HERE
to visit the Metro South Chamber's One-Stop COVID-19 Resource Guide.
Credit: Metro South Chamber of Commerce
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Dress-A-Girl Around the World Bridgewater/West Bridgewater, stopped sewing dresses, and started sewing masks.
Here is a partial list of recipients aside from friends and neighbors:
Morton Hospital
Bridgewater Nursing Home and Hospice workers at BNH
BSU International students
MIC Treatment Center * St. Elizabeth’s
Brockton Hospital * Local doctors’ offices
Care One Nursing Home * Bridgewater VNA
MA General * Beth Israel-Plymouth
New Bedford Pediatrics * Three orders to Life Care – West Bridgewater
Swabbing nurses – Brockton Hospital * Postal Service
Bridgewater and West Bridgewater Senior Centers
NICU – Boston Medical * Taunton Nursing Home
Congregational Church – Bridgewater
Police Departments: Bridgewater, West Bridgewater and the BSU police department
Robbins Manufacturing - Fall River
Maintainers – BSU * New England Siani * Connemara Assisted Living
R.I. Hospice * ICU Brigham’s and Womens
Olsen’s Greenhouse * Brockton Homeless * Restaurant workers * Residential Homes in state
Chamberlain School
And most recently, they received a thank you from Masks for Navajo Nation First Responders, for the batch they shipped out there. If any of our sewers are interested in supporting folks who have less machines:
Meet Carlesia who is sewing masks for her people in Rock Point Arizona.
Great Job! Gloria, Evie, Sue, Gail and Claire and their drivers, Denise and Becky
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Stay home and dress up your gardens!
Order your mulch online today!
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We have wood pellets, feed & grain and
we're open for essential items!
Please call with your order and drive up.
1000 Plymouth St (Rt 104) Bridgewater
(508) 697-0357
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Senior Shoutout!
Lauren MacNeil is a member of the West Bridgewater High School Class of 2020. While at WBHS, Lauren played Flute & Piccolo in the West Bridgewater High School Band.
She played Field Hockey & Softball throughout High School. She was a member of the Winter Track team in her Freshman year.
Lauren plans to attend Massasoit Community College. She also plans on going through Cosmetology School.
We pray that Lauren continues to thrive in all her future endeavors.
~ Fr Paul Ring.
Fr Paul Ring from Together In Christ Collaborative (St Ann's) is posting individual shout outs for seniors (high school & college).
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Nanette Ryan from the West Bridgewater Public Library is requesting families with children to submit drawings their kids made about what they have been doing during social distancing.
All of the library staff are looking forward to returning to work in order to provide you with great services!
Message from Nanette Ryan
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Keep physical distancing and mouth covering protocols, but do get outside!
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Thanks to Donations to United Way COVID-19 Response Fund they have been able to provide immediate response for the following urgent needs:
BAMSI
has been able to respond to urgent help calls from residents who needed short term shelter, food assistance, diapers, cleaning products, rental assistance and personal hygiene products.
Brockton Area Arc
has been provided with additional funding to help families who are out of work and are taking care of children and family members who are developmentally or physical disabled. These families received help for groceries and personal care items.
Family & Community Resources
received grocery store gift cards that were distributed to 20 families in need to access items such as food, baby formula, and cleaning supplies.
Road to Responsibility
purchased sanitation and medical supplies for 18 residential homes serving 77 individuals with development and cognitive disabilities.
... and many more, to make a donation to the COVID-19 Response Fund, see
this form.
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BEAUTY COUNTER
CHRISTINE HARKINS
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What you wear on your skin matters!
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Grant's sends out support & care to all of our communities.
We're all in this together.
10 Bedford Park, Bridgewater
(508) 279-0950
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Witness: Pandemic 2020
We are experiencing an historic event – a global pandemic of huge proportions. COVID19 is a most unwelcome visitor.
The OLD BRIDGEWATER HISTORICAL SOCIETY invites you to bear witness to the chaos around us. We are soliciting essays, poems, photographs, drawings, etc. – for collection, organization and preservation. We may publish your submission online and/or on social media.
Your submission should relate to the pandemic and how it affects you. What are you doing to stay sane? What’s happening around you? How do you think the pandemic will change things, in our town or around the world?
This is not a contest. This is history.
Rules:
*You should be a member of OBHS or have a connection to one of the “Old” Bridgewater towns (East Bridgewater, West Bridgewater, Bridgewater, Brockton).
*Children and teens are also invited to participate.
*Please: Keep your essay or poem to one typed page.
*No profanity (although mild profanity may be overlooked.)
*Avoid politics.
Please join us in this project!
Submissions should be sent electronically to:
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Early Voting
By Mail is Available for the
June 27, 2020 Town Election.
You can get an application on the town website
here.
Contact the town clerk's office:
Phone: 508-894-1167
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WEEKLY TRIVIA GAME
Have fun with us and bee entered to win a
One Free Embodyment® Yoga at Bliss Through Yoga once we open back up. Located at Physical Therapy U
75 Scotland Blvd, Bridgewater.
Historical Tidbit Question:
What was coffee rationed to?
Please submit your answer through our website
here
. It's easier for us to run more contests & distribute prizes this way.
We are looking forward to giving you more opportunities to win!
By entering, you give us permission to announce your name in next week's Buzz Around Bridgewater.
On May 20, 2020 we will randomly pick a winner from the correct answers.
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The
Buzz Around is brought to you this week by:
Jen Bellody,
Janice O'Brien,
Jacquelyn Rose & Greg Venezia
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Adaptation
I can say, after raising 4 children and living in 7 places in the past 10 years, while facing food and housing insecurity, completing a masters degree and growing the BuzzAround; that I have gotten pretty good at adaptation.
I would like to share just this one thing about this "now" that we are in... it's a great time to fix what's broken, to create a new life. It is, we have time.
So notice: how do you feel?
What did you miss or want the most before the closures & physical distancing?
This might be the time to transition to retirement, or a new career. This might be the time to realize living alone in the family homestead is too secluded, or that you want a home where you can walk to ice cream or the playground. It might be the time to identify new hobbies, music, dance or activity groups to be part of.
Make a list. Do some research. Follow up.
This is your life, don't let opportunities pass you by.
Wouldn't it bee great to come out of this on your way to creating your best life?
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"Each of us has the opportunity to change and grow until our very last breath. Happy creating." ~M.F. Ryan
“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent. It is the one that is most adaptable to change.” ~ Charles Darwin
“When something goes wrong in your life, just yell ‘Plot Twist’ and move on.” ~ Anonymous
Yes, Happy Creating. ~ Jacquie
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Copyright 2020 Buzz Around West Bridgewater.
You have our permission to share and copy this issue in its entirety or as much as you like. If you take it in part, please give credit: ("Buzz Around West Bridgewater 5/17/20")
Disclaimer: At the Buzz Around, we promote community and family. Occasionally, there will be links to town committees and other non-profit groups, as a way of sharing local information. Individual groups are responsible for how they represent themselves on their websites and in their promotional materials.
The Buzz Around does not claim to support any particular view.
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