SOUTHWICK – Friday morning, six volunteers from the Southwick Fire Department, along with volunteers from the Council on Aging and DPW, delivered 27 buckets of sand to senior’s homes, as part of a new program created by those three town departments.
According to Council on Aging Director Cindy Sullivan, the goal was to deliver 30 buckets of sand.
“The fact that we got 27 people for it is awesome,” said Sullivan.
Members of the Southwick Fire Department deliver a sand bucket to an elderly resident in town that signed up for the program. (Photo from Cindy Sullivan)
Senior citizens having a high risk of falling from the rough conditions that the winter can bring, and Sullivan is grateful for the assistance she’s received for the program.
“Our community is lucky to have caring individuals on the fire Department who are willing to help the Chief and I implement these programs,” said Sullivan.
Sullivan also touched on the positive impact of the younger members of the fire department taking part in a community program like this.
“It was nice because there were some younger guys from the fire department that are getting involved in the department and it’s great,” said Sullivan.
Reported by the Westfield News on December 27, the program involves the fire department providing a five-gallon bucket of sand from the DPW facility to seniors in town. To be eligible, a resident must be at least 60-years-old, own their own property, and don’t live in a development that already has a company taking care of snow and ice removal. Southwick Council on Aging Director Cindy Sullivan mentioned that Easthampton and Granby already have this type of program in their respective communities.
If anyone is interested in signing up for the sand bucket program, call the Council on Aging at 413-569-5498. Sullivan said that the next round of sand buckets will be delivered to those who sign up once bad weather approaches.
