We are living through unprecedented times. When studying times of crisis, historians, archives, and museums depend not only on the actions of national and international leaders, but on records of daily life. The Framingham History Center is making an effort to collect a digital archive of community members’ experiences of the COVID-19 Pandemic in real time. There are multiple ways you can participate and submit your experiences to this digital archive.
Record a Digital Daily Journal
We have created a Google Sheets template for anyone who wants to record a line-a-day journal during the duration of the pandemic (and beyond). Although you are not obligated to submit your journal to the FHC’s COVID-19 Digital Archive, if you live or work in Framingham, we would greatly appreciate if you considered doing so. Please Note: If you do not have a Google account, you can still save the template as an Excel spreadsheet via the link.
Take photos of your daily experiences during the COVID-19 Pandemic and submit them to our digital archive using the form below. A staff member will review all submissions and will follow up with you when they are able.
What about Traditional Collection Donations?
The FHC is not currently accepting donations of physical objects. We currently anticipate returning to our regular collecting practices in September 2020. In the meantime, here are some examples of items relating to the COVID-19 Pandemic the FHC would be interested in when we resume collecting objects:
Projects completed by you or members of your family (crafts, writing, hobbies, etc.)
Masks or other PPE made by you for your family (when use has concluded)
Curriculum packets created by Framing teachers for school closings
Work schedules, family schedules, or any other organizational document you used to organize your daily life
Non-digital, handwritten journals or journal entries
Other physical mementos of your or your family’s personal experiences in quarantine
Please consider holding on to some of these items to submit to the FHC’s Collections in the future. Please clean or sterilize potential donations as appropriate and place them, with clean hands, in a plastic ziploc gallon bag somewhere safe where it will not be frequently handled.
Would you please consider making a tax-deductible contribution to support the arts in our community? The first 9 online donations of $50 or more, will receive the book “Marianne Fisker Pierce – Prints & Collages”.
Suggested individual donations are from $25 to $250, or more. Please contact us if you would like to be a corporate sponsor. Donors will be acknowledged on the Arts Wayland website.
Donate by check to: Arts Wayland Foundation, PO Box 272, Wayland, MA 01778 or on our website www.artswayland.com
Fresh Start has re-vamped their programs to lower the number of people that are simultaneously needed and to do our best to provide social distancing. However, due to our need to accept donations of furniture and home-goods from the public, and distribute them to people in need, we need volunteers.Our primary need right now is for guys to act as furniture movers. This entails offloading donor vehicles and moving the items inside to be processed, and moving items from our facility into client vehicles. You need to be able to lift 50 lbs.We also have a lot of other jobs which need to be done, which includes sorting and cleaning incoming donations, working with clients and donors, a virtual call center, etc. Please see the associated link.
Option to have Artist’s name, embedded link and thumbnail image on Members web page on the Arts Wayland website
Notification by email about member activities
Invitation to vote at Annual Meeting
Special participation in @theW gallery Member Salon exhibits. Currently virtual.
Join or Renew Online or By Check
To join or renew by check - send your check with the appropriate membership level fee, payable to Arts Wayland Foundation to: P.O. Box 272, Wayland, MA 01778. Include your Name and Address. We also require you to provide your phone and an email address so we may contact you.
Each year, hundreds of Massachusetts youth age out of the foster care system. Launch Boxes provide a few basic necessities as these young adults transition out on their own for the first time. A Launch Box is a plastic bin filled with basic supplies—such as towels, toiletries, and utensils—that will help young adults transition out of foster care to independent living. Specifically designed for young adults (18 to 23 years old) without a traditional safety net, Launch Boxes are given to the young adult by their social worker as a tangible and practical gift from the community.Launch Boxes are a great way for community groups to donate in a tangible, meaningful way and help a local young adult transition out of foster care. Items can be found at dollar stores and other discount retailers. Small groups can divide up the list and individuals can shop separately to contribute to one Launch Box.
Children (5-12) , 12-15 , 16-18 , Adults (18+) , 55+ , Child with Adult
One-time
Anytime
Individuals , Groups (2-10) , Groups (10+) , Families , Corporate Teams
Our volunteers help older adults get the medical care they need and bring companionship to lonely, isolated elders. They serve as mentors to third and fourth-grade students. They improve families’ access to healthy food and new clothing. They reduce the barriers to success faced by first-generation college students. They assist immigrants on their path to citizenship. Our volunteers support our fundraising efforts, stock our food pantry, and share their unique talents with JFS.And during these unprecedented times, our volunteers are delivering food to members of our community who are in need and remotely mentoring MassBay Community College students.
Our warehouse is currently closed to volunteers, however there are many ways to help from the safety of your home! Click the links below to explore how volunteers of all ages can end hygiene insecurity – right from your living room.
Please reach out to Abby MacDonald at [email protected] with any questions. Thanks for your participation!
Follow and Amplify on Social Media
One of the best ways to raise awareness about hygiene insecurity is to spread the word! Please ‘like’ Hope & Comfort on social media and share our posts with your networks and community.
Reach Out
Have a creative idea about how to advance our work during this time of great need? Contact us anytime. We can’t wait to hear from you!
12-15 , Adults (18+) , 55+ , Child with Adult
One-time , Ongoing
Anytime
Individuals , Groups (2-10) , Groups (10+) , Families
