Chapter Workshop
April 27, 2008
Wachusett Recycled Resource Center
52 Boyden Road
Holden, MA 01520

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Agenda

Spotlight

The Wachusett Recycled Resource Center, in central Massachusetts, provides free arts and crafts materials and a meeting place available for anyone. Volunteers staff the Center. The Center offers free classes one Saturday per month. Groups also meet at the Center.

The Center is open Monday 6PM-8PM, Tuesday 9AM-11AM and Thursday 3PM-5PM. The Resource Center will close when the Wachusett School District closes due to weather.

Materials are donated by manufacturers in the region and by individuals. These materials include fabrics, yarns, papers and poster board, containers and craft supplies of all sorts. More that 5000 visitors including teachers, seniors, scout leaders, church groups, drama groups, art museum classes and residents of all ages receive materials at the center each year.

The Center operates from a one story, handicapped accessible building in front of Wachusett Extended Care (formerly Holden Hospital). Six Wachusett towns share the cost of the utilities proportional to their population. Volunteers staff the Center, transport materials from donor companies, shovel the walks, clean the Center and provide maintenance.

In addition to providing free supplies for all, some projects accomplished with the Center provisions include:

• Caps knit for newborn infants in hospitals
• Hats and mittens knit for children in need
• Costumes and scenery for community theatre and school drama projects
• Destination Imagination project materials and meeting place
• Worcester Art Museum class supplies
• Supplies for teachers who come from all over Worcester County

In 2002, Holden Grange presented their community service award to the Resource Center. Hazel Lund, Center director, and Andrew DeMarco, student volunteer, accepted the award. In 2004, the Holden Democratic committee bestowed their Good Neighbor Award on Hazel Lund for her service. In January 2008 dozens of volunteers attended a testimonial dinner for Hazel Lund where Rep. Lew Evangelidis presented Hazel with a proclamation of thanks from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for her exemplary service.

What can you find at the Center or donate?
Aluminum trays, baby food jars, bags, baskets, beads, binders, bottle caps, boxes, burlap, buttons, cardboard, cardboard tubes, CDs, coat hangers, coffee cans, containers, craft books, egg cartons, fabrics, feathers, felt, film canisters, floor tiles, flower pots, greeting cards, holiday decorations, labels, lids, magazines, magnets, papers, pine cones, pins and needles, poster board, Pringles cans, rubber, stickers, string, styrofoam pieces, wallpaper, wood, yarns, holiday items and more….

One fourth grade boy remarked “this place is better than Wal-Mart. You can get everything here”! His friend added “and it’s free”! Another Center shopper said “This place is like a pot of gold”. The Wachusett Recycled Resource Center is truly a resource for everyone.

Directions

From I-90 take Auburn Exit 10 to I-290. Travel through Worcester. Merge onto I-190 north and take first exit toward Holden. Follow signs to Holden. This will place you on Route 122A (Main Street) Holden. You will travel about 3 miles on Main Street to see Friendly's on your right. Just before Friendly's turn right on Boyden Road. Turn right into the first driveway at the Wachusett Recycled Resource center sign, then right along the front of Wachusett Extended Care. Continue straight ahead to the Wachusett Recycled Resource Center building.

Contact

Pat Charbonneau (508) 856-0180 (H)
Colleen Abrams (508) 479-2123 (C)

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