So, we know we are not alone in our feelings of stress and worry. We all have a variety of obligations to fulfill between our work, home, and social lives. We are all connected in our worries and fears about the state of our world and the health and well-being of our loved ones. Life these days can often feel overwhelming, like there is little time for relaxing and restoring, and that slowing down and experiencing the present moment is an impossibility. As a mom to an almost sixteen-month-old toddler, who works full-time and is a concerned citizen and community member, I can relate to all of these overwhelming feelings!

What can we do about it? One tool I have personally found useful to combat stress in my own life is to engage in the practice of mindfulness. Mindfulness is a practice that helps to orient you to the present moment by retraining your mind to slow down.  Studies have found that practicing mindfulness techniques can lead to positive impacts on our overall health and well-being. Dr. Zev Schuman-Olivier, Medical Director of Cambridge Health Alliance and a renowned, board-certified addiction psychiatrist at Harvard University, asserts that mindfulness practices have been proven to minimize feelings of stress, anxiety, and depression, as well as lower cortisol levels, blood pressure, and improve sleep patterns. Mindfulness practices have become increasingly utilized to counter stress and anxiety, helping people function at optimal levels in their everyday lives. As the power of practicing mindfulness gains popularity, mindfulness techniques and trainings have been incorporated into a variety of settings throughout our society, including healthcare settings, schools, prisons, employment settings, professional sports teams, and more. 

As summer progresses, I hope you can all find some time in your lives to slow down and enjoy the present moment. There is so much we have little power over, our days are full, and our lives are busy, but even taking ten to fifteen minutes out of your day to stop and do some type of mindfulness exercise can go a long way towards lightening your mood and lowering stress levels. Wishing you all more relaxing and restorative days! 

Local Mindfulness Practice resources:

• Community Yoga and Wellness Center - https://www.community-yoga.com/
• Shelburne Falls Shambhala Center - https://shelburnefalls.shambhala.org/
• Heartfulness - https://www.facebook.com/HeartfulnessMeditationSunderland#

Online Mindfulness Practice resources:

• 5 Simple Mindfulness Practices for Daily Life
• 21 Mindfulness Exercises & Activities for Adults
• 5 Minute Mindfulness Meditation
• Mayo Clinic Healthy Lifestyle Mindfulness Exercises
• Harvard Health-Practice Mindfulness in 15 Minutes Per Day

Warmly,

Kristen Cuddy-Pease, Program Associate

Opioid Task Force of Franklin County and the North Quabbin Region

UPCOMING EVENTS

See what's happening at OTF this month.

COVID-19 RESOURCES

Explore OTF's COVID-19 Resource Guide.

MASSACHUSETTS SUBSTANCE USE HELPLINE

Hope is here. Get help.

413Cares

Resources for Franklin County and the North Quabbin Region. Click here.

NQCC'S Newsletter

Resources and upcoming events in the North Quabbin Region.

Click here.

CONNECTIONS #90

Find local resources in this issue.

NEED NARCAN?

Click here to email for Narcan.

Emergency Services Resources for Unhoused Individuals

Click here.

The PACES CONNECTION

Click here for resources

Grayken Center for Addiction Training & Technical Assistance

Click here to view and/or register for trainings.

GCC Community Engagement and Workshop Events

Click here to view and/or register for trainings.

Rural SUD Info Center

Click here for resources.

UPCOMING OTF COMMITTEE & WORKGROUP MEETINGS

FEATURED EVENTS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

The Three County CoC is carrying out a Summer Point in Time (PIT) Count of people experiencing unsheltered homelessness in Berkshire, Franklin, and Hampshire Counties.

In January, community partners came together to identify 107 persons experiencing unsheltered homelessness. We know that more people are experiencing unsheltered homelessness in the summer months, and our CoC aims to carry out a Summer PIT count every 2 years to gather more data on how many people are sleeping outdoors during warmer months.

• Community members can complete anonymous PIT Count Surveys with persons they serve who may have experienced unsheltered homelessness
• Our “point in time” is the night of Sunday July 20^th
• People can be surveyed between Monday July 21^st and Saturday July 26^th on if they lacked access to housing or shelter on Sunday July 20^th

https://www.threecountycoc.communityaction.us/pitcount2025

Our webpage, above, has the following information and resources:

• PDF and online surveys for the Summer PIT Count
• Slides from our 6/25 Summer PIT overview meeting
• Definitions for Unsheltered, Sheltered, and Other situations

If you support anyone who may be sleeping outside, in a car, in an abandoned building, or other unsheltered situations on July 20^th, please make a plan to complete Summer PIT Count surveys by Saturday 7/26!

MONTHLY WORKSHOP CALENDRS AND WEEKLY STANDING MEETINGS/EVENTS

Franklin County Reentry Center

Always Open! Community Labyrinth in Greenfield

All Recovery Meeting at The RECOVER Project

Mondays Art Guild Meetings

Second Mondays - North Quabbin B.R.R.A.V.V.E. Task Force Meeting

Tuesdays Peer-Led Grief and Loss Circle

First Tuesday - Dads' Group

Tuesdays Drop-In Knitting & Sewing Sessions

Wednesdays HEROES Study Hub at GCC

First & Third Thursdays Parent Support Group

Thursdays Coffee Hour at the Brick House

Thursdays Beyond Trauma Group in Spanish

In February, FCRN partnered with The United Arc and the Offices of Representative Natalie Blais and Congressman Jim McGovern to host representatives from the Social Security Administration, the Department of Children and Families, and the Child Advocate for the Commonwealth Maria Mossaides for a discussion with grandparents raising grandchildren in Franklin County.

Below please find more information about programs covered at the event, as well as some key links and contact information for the representatives for state and federal agencies and legislative offices that were present.

Office of the Child Advocate: The Office of the Child Advocate (OCA) is an independent executive branch agency with oversight and ombudsperson responsibilities, established by the Massachusetts Legislature in 2008.

The best way to get in touch with the OCA is through the Complaint Line: https://www.mass.gov/guides/oca-complaint-line 

Maria Mossaides, Child Advocate

Department of Children and Families

Regional DCF team:

• Laurie Sullivan, (DCF Western Regional Director) laurie.sullivan@mass.gov 
• Paula Teixeira, (DCF Greenfield Area Office) paula.teixeira@mass.gov 

DCF’s Kinship Navigator : Kinship Navigator is a program of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts that assists all kinship caregivers (grandparents and other relatives) with accessing services for themselves and the children they are raising.

Kinshipnavigator@mass.gov   1(844) 924-4KIN   Online referral: https://formstack.io/CF361 

Jennifer Kitchenham, Jennifer.S.Kitchenham@mass.gov 

Commission on the Status of Grandparents Raising Grandchildren: The purpose of this Commission is to be a resource to the Commonwealth on issues affecting grandparents raising grandchildren, and relatives, other than parents, raising kin.

On July 8, 2008, the Child Advocate bill was signed into law which included the establishment of the Commission on the Status of Grandparents Raising Grandchildren. This legislation calls for a permanent commission on the status of grandparents raising grandchildren which consists of 15 individuals who have demonstrated a commitment to grandparents.

617-748-2454           massgrg@mass.gov         Colleen Pritoni, colleen.pritoni@mass.gov 

Family Resource Centers: Supported by the Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services and the Department of Children and Families, a Family Resource Center is located in each of the 14 Massachusetts counties. There are currently 33 FRCs.

Here are some of the ways FRCs help families:

• Bring people together for friendship and mutual support
• Strengthen parenting skills
• Respond to family crises
• Link families to services and opportunities
• Help children develop social and emotional skills
• Observe and respond to early warning signs of child abuse and neglect
• Value and support parents

Community Action Family Center  90, Federal Street, Greenfield, MA 01301 (413) 475-1555

Jolanta Rumierz, jolanta.rumierz@mass.gov 

Social Security Administration - Boston Region Office 

• https://www.ssa.gov/myaccount/ 
• A full FAQ page is available here: https://www.ssa.gov/faqs/en/ 
• More information about scheduling an appointment with SSA can be found here: https://www.ssa.gov/faqs/en/questions/KA-02771.html 

SSA representatives in Boston office: 

• Kevin Reino (Senior Public Affairs Specialist) bos.rcd@ssa.gov
• Sabrina Feliciano (Public Affairs Specialist) Sabrina.Feliciano@ssa.gov 

Federation for Children with Special Needs

Caregiver to Caregiver Respite Network: https://fcsn.org/c2c/ 

Mary-Beth Landy, Senior Trainer & Family Engagement Manager,  mlandy@fcsn.org 

Below is the information for all of the legislative offices that were present: 

Senator Comerford’s office

• Senator Comerford (jo.comerford@masenate.gov) 
• Elena Cohen (elena.cohen@masenate.gov)
• Jessie Cooley (jessie.cooley@masenate.gov) 

Representative Blais’s office

• Representative Blais (natalie.blais@mahouse.gov) 
• Corinne Coryat (corinne.coryat@mahouse.gov)

Congressman McGovern’s office

• Koby Gardner-Levine (Koby.Gardner-Levine@mail.house.gov) 

Kinship Navigator Brochure

Foster Parent Flyer

Adoption Journeys Brochure

UMASS Brochure - Family Resources Center

Kid's Net Brochure

Mental Health Advocacy Program - FAQs

Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Resources

Free English Classes

Free Meals and Essentials at Saints James and Andrews Parish Hall

Come Cook with Franklin County Community Meals Program

Family Self-Sufficiency Program Available

Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation Program

Eviction Self-Help Booklets Available in Multiple Languages

Update! Greenfield CSC New Hybrid Operations Change

Beginning Tuesday, 9.3.24, the Greenfield Court Service Center (CSC)services will be in-person and remote: Monday-Thursday, 8:30am-1pm; 2pm-4:30 pm, and Fridays, 8:30-1pm.

For ANY/ALL REMOTE REQUESTS, please contact the Virtual Court Service Center, M-F 9am -2pm, if you do not have an emergency. You can reach them for an intake, Monday-Friday, 9am to 2pm, by Zoom video or telephone as outlined below:

https://www.zoomgov.com/j/1615261140 or Dial (646) 828-7666. Enter the Meeting ID number 1615261140 and then press # #. 

If you have an emergency, and still need remote services, have the court department reach out directly to Greenfield CSC office by email for assistance at greenfieldcsc@jud.state.ma.us.

Opioid Task Force of Franklin County and the North Quabbin Region www.opioidtaskforce.org