The Lincoln Squirrel – News, features and photos from Lincoln, Mass.

charity/volunteer

Letter to the editor: support the library by donating to FOLL

Dear Lincoln,

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Lincoln Public Library — now closed temporarily — is faced with new challenges. We, the Friends of the Lincoln Library (FOLL), are here to help. And we’re asking for your help, too.

Who are we? A nonprofit formed to provide financial assistance to the Lincoln Library. FOLL supplements the town’s library budget. Book sales at Bemis Hall and donations from Lincoln residents are our main sources of revenue. Last fiscal year, we contributed nearly $46,000 to fund programs, library passes, furnishings and the Tarbell Room hearing loop. Click here to see a full list of what we support.

Since our monthly book sales and other fundraisers are now on hold, we’re exploring new, revenue-generating ideas such as the installment of book donation bins as well as online book sales to compensate for lost income. But it’s not enough. In order to keep our beloved library vibrant and to adapt to these new circumstances, FOLL needs your financial donations now more than ever.

Why now? Although the library is closed, we kept our financial commitment to already-hired performers. The library staff is working with them to deliver online events or to find new performance dates. Our goal is to help keep our vendors solvent during the pandemic. Also, we continue to renew museum passes even though museums are closed. It’s our way of helping to ensure that our venerable cultural institutions remain viable.

We’ll continue our monthly board meetings (virtually) with Library Director Barbara Myles and Assistant Director Lisa Rothenberg to discuss ways to support remote library operations during these difficult times. Please consider showing your support by making a tax-deductible contribution today to the Friends of the Lincoln Library.

PayPal is the preferred method of payment. If paying by check, mail to: Friends of the Lincoln Library, 3 Bedford Rd., Lincoln MA, 01773. (Please note, since we currently have no access to mail at the library, there will be a delay in depositing checks and acknowledging donations sent there.)

Thank you! Stay well. Be safe.

Sincerely,

Daniela Caride on behalf of the Friends of the Lincoln Library board

 

 

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Bicyclist taken to hospital after fall

On Saturday, May 2 at about 3 p.m., Lincoln emergency personnel assisted an 83-year-old Arlington woman who fell off her bicycle while traveling north on Lincoln Road just north of Todd Pond Road. Her fall was due to a defect in the road; no other vehicles were involved. The woman was conscious and alert but was transported to the hospital. 

First Parish organizes drive for communities in need

The First Parish in Lincoln is holding a Mother’s Day pop-up drive for communities in need with a donation deadline of Monday, May 11. The church is collecting donations of supplies to support communities of color as well as the homeless who have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic. The supplies will be distributed by Bay Cove Human Services in Boston to homeless men and women and to children of families they serve.

Residents can drop off donations on the church’s Stearns Room porch (across from the library at 4 Bedford Rd.) or have items picked up by contacting Mary Jo Veling at 781-259-8588 or veling1@hotmail.com. For more information, click here or contact Janet Boynton at janetkboynton@gmail.com or 781-259-0928.

Items needed include:

  • Diapers in size 4 and 5 and baby wipes
  • Stop & Shop gift cards (which can be purchased at Donelan’s)
  • New men’s and women’s underwear, T-shirts, and sweatshirts in sizes L and XL
  • New men’s and women’s socks and flip-flops in sizes L and XL
  • Women’s hygiene supplies
  • Essential toiletries in small containers
  • Power bars, snacks, tea bags, single-serve sugar-free drink mix

Seedling sale benefits The Food Project

The Food Project is holding its annual seedling sale next Saturday and Sunday, May 9 and 10. We will have contactless pickup available on the farm at the end of Baker Bridge Road. Please visit thefoodproject.org/seedlings/ to order. 

Library now offers Acorn TV

The Lincoln Public Library is now offering Acorn TV’s streaming service to patrons with web-connected devices. Offerings include Vera, Land Girls, Doc Martin, and other mysteries, dramas, and comedies from Britain and beyond. To access Acorn TV, visit www.lincolnpl.org and have your Lincoln Public card number handy. You’ll be asked to create an Acorn account with a username and password. If you already have an account with RB Digital (the library offers RB Digital magazines), you can use that account information to access Acorn TV. 

Each patron will be allowed to check out one “license” per week, which includes unlimited access to view as many episodes of programming you like. When the week is over, you can simply check out another license to watch more content.

Anyone who needs assistance with any of the library’s online services, email lincoln@minlib.net.

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Discussion on surviving domestic violence

The Sudbury-Wayland-Lincoln Domestic Violence Roundtable will host an online discussion of “Covid-19’s Impact on Survivors of Domestic Violence” on Tuesday, May 12 at 3 p.m. on Zoom. To register, go to domesticviolenceroundtable.org.

Social distancing is a necessary strategy for keeping the community safe during this pandemic, but isolation in one’s home is having a profound effect on survivors of domestic violence and their families. This forum will feature representatives of local domestic violence agencies who will address several different situations that survivors might be in right now, including those who may be in controlling or abusive relationships and those who may have left a controlling and abusive partner. Panelists will look at the emotional, psychological, and economic implications of this complex time for survivors of domestic abuse and will answer questions from the online audience..

If you or someone that you care about is a survivor of domestic abuse and would like help or support, all of the local domestic abuse programs in the area are responding to phone calls and emails:

Two online programs from the COA

The Council on Aging invites you to two virtual programs. In “Making Decisions When It Matters Most: Conversations About Health Care Proxy, Five Wishes, and More!” on Wednesday, May 13 at 10 a.m. Mary Crowe and Joan Sullivan of Care Dimensions will discuss the importance of advance care planning and making one’s health care wishes known through the use of Five Wishes and other planning tools. Click here to register and attend.

Residents of all ages are invited to a “Conversation with a Select(man)” on Friday, May 15 at 2 p.m. via Zoom. Join Board of Selectmen Chair Jennifer Glass to get the latest updates, ask your questions, and offer ideas. For information on how to join in, please email her at selectmen@lincolntown.org prior to the meeting.

A stay-at-home Bird-a-thon

Mass Audubon’s Bird-a-thon, which typically sends teams of birders rambling throughout the Commonwealth in a friendly competition to identify the most species in a 24-hour period, is staying at home this year to respect social distancing and will take place Friday to Saturday, May 15–16.

Mass Audubon’s biggest single fundraising event is again expected to attract hundreds of competitors of all abilities, but will be carbon-free, safety-focused, and family-oriented. Participants will select bird observation  spots—a window, backyard, or a green space within short walking or biking distance from their homes. From 6 p.m. on Friday the 15th through 6 p.m. on the 16th, they’ll spend time observing and identifying species from their birding positions, solo or with other household members.

Competitors join teams representing different Mass Audubon wildlife sanctuaries and programs. Their pledges can be directed to specific wildlife sanctuaries and programs or to the overall organization, the state’s largest nature conservation nonprofit. Participants can also earn points for their team by completing other fun, nature-based activities or as “Bird-a-thon Boosters,” who raise money while birding for fun (or not birding at all).

Last year’s event raised $240,000 and recorded 273 species, with Drumlin Farm garnering $30,850 for its work through the event. Sponsors this year include presenting sponsors Ream Design of Ayer and Camosse Masonry Supply of Worcester, and media sponsor WBUR.

To participate, donate, and to learn more about Bird-a-thon, visit www.massaudubon.org/birdathon.

Letter to the editor: COA grateful for donations

To the editor:

Thank you to everyone who has contributed to the Friends of the Lincoln Council on Aging in response to our appeal here in the Squirrel. We appreciate your generosity! As we are reaching out in many different ways, some of you may receive a postal letter asking for a contribution as well. We didn’t cross-check our mailing list against our list of recent contributors, so if you’ve already donated, just know that we’re grateful and recycle that letter.

Sincerely,

Rhonda Swain
President, Friends of the Lincoln COA

Letter to the editor: thanks from food pantry

The restocked food pantry.

The restocked St. Vincent de Paul food pantry at St. Joseph’s.

To the editor:

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul would like to thank the First Parish in Lincoln’s Community Engagement and Service Task Force under the leadership of Margit Griffith and Sarah Bishop for organizing an amazing food drive. They got the information out, arranged for signup and drop off, and bagged and delivered food. It was a true success.

A special thank-you to the entire town for donating so generously. We received more bags of potatoes, apples, oranges, onions, and sweet potatoes than we can count. In addition, we received a large number of staple items, condiments, and snacks. The grocery bags will be distributed in the next few days, bringing much relief and many smiles. We are also grateful for the many generous monetary donations we have received. 

We are now serving approximately 200 people in Lincoln and Weston. In the coming days, Karen Boyce, our pantry chair, and her team will give out 500 bags of food. And in two weeks we will do it all over again.

If you are in need of food or financial emergency help with payment of bills, please reach out to us. This is a difficult time for many who, through no fault of their own, find themselves in a situation they could never have imagined. It’s hard to ask for help, but we are here to support you! Please call St. Julia office at 781-899-2611 and leave a message for St. Vincent de Paul and someone will call you back. For more information, go to stjulia.org/st-vincent-de-paul-society.

Sincerely,

Ursula Nowak
President of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, St. Joseph Conference

News acorns

Kids’ programs this week from Farrington NatureLinc

Farrington NatureLinc is going virtual with partners sites to offer with live streaming outdoor adventures and nature crafts for kids twice every day this week. Topics will be:

  • Tuesday, April 21 — Cairns and Rocks (11 a.m.), Flowing Water (2 p.m.)
  • Wednesday, April 22 — Earth Day (11 a.m.), Nature Journals (2 p.m.)
  • Thursday, April 23 — Nature Weaving (11 a.m.), Bird Feeders (2 p.m.)
  • Friday, April 24 — The Story of the Land ( 11 a.m.), Backyard Wildflowers (2 p.m.)

Those who like FNL’s Facebook page in advance will get notified when each event is about to go live, or the programs can be viewed on its YouTube page a day or so after each Facebook Live event.

FNL will also host Goat Yoga online on Saturday, May 9 from 11 a.m.–2 p.m.; click here to register. Get a sneak peak at the baby goats in this Chip In Farm video.

Walden Woods Project offers virtual events

The Walden Woods Project has three more “Thursdays with Thoreau” scheduled. Each event takes place from 10–11 a.m. and from 4–5 p.m. Registration for each session opens the Thursday before at 5 p.m. Click here to register for the April 23 session.

  • April 23: Society — What do these times suggest about us as a society and how can Thoreau’s words help us reflect on where we currently stand as a society?
  • April 30: Spring — “Shall a man not have his spring as well as the plants?” (Journal, June 1850). How have you been able to experience and observe the transformations of spring this year? Has social distancing allowed you more or less opportunity to notice these seasonal changes? What metaphorical lessons, many noted by Thoreau, does spring have to offer us?
  • May 7: Living Without Regrets — May 6 marks the anniversary of Thoreau’s passing. On his deathbed, Thoreau stated that he had no regrets about his life. What would it take to come to the end of one’s life and have no regrets? In what ways did Thoreau’s life and outlook put him in that position? Are you inspired in this way by Thoreau’s life?

Do you have a question about Thoreau, his work, life, family, or friends? Ask Thoreau scholar and author Jeffrey S. Cramer, WWP Curator of Collections, on Thursday, April 27 from 1–2 p.m. Participants may submit questions prior to the virtual event, or during the chat. Click here to register (participants will receive Zoom access information after registering).

In honor of its 30th anniversary and the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, please click here to donate to the Walden Woods Project and help fund its free virtual events.

L-S seniors will get plants instead of balloons

Because of the Covid-19 epidemic, the L-S Class of 2022 Steering Committee will modify its traditional fundraiser.  Instead of selling and attaching balloons to the mailboxes of graduating seniors, they’ll distribute potted red blooms donated by Cavicchio Greenhouses located close to the high school in Sudbury.

Social distancing requirements mean that gathering dozens of volunteers to inflate and tie up the balloons won’t be possible. In addition, helium is in short supply because it’s used for a type of respiratory therapy as well as for cooling the superconducting magnets used in MRI scanners.

Any balloon orders already received can be converted to these red potted blooms. Pennant orders will be honored unless we hear otherwise in the coming weeks from the manufacturer. Pickup and delivery will be coordinated with the school in keeping with health guidelines with details to come. Recipients can get creative with their displays by adding, bows, flags, signs, and items to the planters in a display that honors graduates and the contributions they’ve made as an LS students.

Orders for plants can be made until May 20 by clicking here. Anyone with questions may email celebrateourgraduates@gmail.com.

Letter to the editor: thanks from food pantry

Andrew Craig and Henry Darnall with the vanload of donations they collected.

To the editor:

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul would like to thank Andrew Craig for organizing a food drive for our Food Pantry in Lincoln. With the help of his mother Julia, his friend Henry Darnall, and Henry’s dad Greg, he collected food from 30 households. They delivered two carloads of food to the Food Pantry, sorted the food, and checked all the use-by dates. It was an incredibly successful food drive. Our thanks go also to the 30 households who took part by donating food so generously.

It is not too late to help. Please drop food donations off at the side entrance on the left side of St. Joseph Church, where the ramp is. If you buy food at Donelan’s you can drop it off in the collection barrel behind the registers.

Items most needed are pasta sauce, Progresso soup, cereal, pasta, brown rice, white tuna, cans of corn, cans of black beans, and Campbell’s chicken noodle soup, as well as toilet paper and paper towels.For monetary donations, please make checks payable to St. Vincent de Paul and mail them to St. Vincent de Paul, PO Box 324, Lincoln MA.

We are very impressed with how much food Andrew was able to collect. The need is growing fast, and we rely on donations more than ever before. We have never before given out so much food. It is heartening to see a young person like Andrew take initiative and so many Lincoln residents responding to his request for donations.

Sincerely,

Ursula Nowak
Society of St. Vincent de Paul, St. Joseph Conference

Covid news acorns

Council on Aging newsletter is online

The Lincoln Council on Aging has published its monthly newsletter online rather than in print, with information on taking fitness classes online from the COA and Parks and Recreation, instructions for attending virtual public meetings, a summary of COA resources for dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic, etc. Click here to read the newsletter.

Schools need help funding free lunches

The state has required schools to stay closed until May 4, but the Lincoln Public Schools are still providing free lunch each weekday to 55 students in 32 families at home in Lincoln, Boston, and at Hanscom Air Force Base at a cost of $850 a week despite getting no reimbursements for this expense. The district has appealed again for donations in any amount to help cover costs. Go to this UniPay site, scroll down to select Lincoln Public Schools, and click the Meal Assistance bar on the left.

Retail news

  • Donelan’s now offers shopping for seniors only from 7–8 a.m. each day and is open until 7 p.m. daily.
  • Twisted Tree has closed until April 19. “We are hoping that we will be able to open after two weeks but we will be monitoring this ever-changing situation,” the café wrote on its Instagram page.
  • Something Special is taking phone orders (781-259-0544) and making free deliveries to Lincoln. They are posting pictures of merchandise on their Instagram page and will mail items as well.

Covid-19 scammers spread to social media

The Coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic is creating new opportunities for scammers. In addition to being wary of emails and phone calls, also be cautious of messages on Facebook or other social media purporting to be from governmental agencies needing personal information in order to get you benefits or companies asking for money to help you obtain benefits. The government will not contact you by email, phone or social media, and you do not need an outside company to apply for any government benefit. Also, don’t fall for offers of vaccines, treatments, or hard-to-come-by household products from unsolicited phone calls, emails, or social media messages.

Tests for COVID-19 can only be ordered by a physician and obtained at a reputable site such as a hospital. Do not accept tests from anyone who comes to your door, approaches you in a store or other public place, or who calls or emails you or messages you on social media. Never give personal information including bank account, credit card, Social Security, or Medicare numbers to anyone you don’t know. If you think you’ve been the victim of a scam or you have a question about a communication you have received, call the Lincoln Police Department at 781-259-8113.

South Sudanese affected by Covid-19, seek donations

The Lincoln-based South Sudanese Enrichment Fund is appealing for help for members of its community who have been laid off or ineligible for unemployment. Many former refugees in the Boston area work in the gig economy, the hospitality sector, and convalescent homes affected by quarantines and closures of non-essential services. The SSEF offers grants of $500 from its Emergency Fund and loans of up to $1,500. The organization is also looking for volunteers to make masks for their community from provided African fabric, and to send care packages to each of the approximately 80 families in Massachusetts. Anyone who can help can get more information and donated online at www.ssefboston.org or email Executive Director Susan Winship at susanwinship@comcast.net.

Free access to Ancestry.com

Through the month of May, Ancestry Library has agreed to offer home access to their database for Lincoln Public Library users. You can access the database through the Lincoln Public Library website at www.lincolnpl.org or via the Minuteman Library Online Resources page at www.minlib.net.You will need a Lincoln Public Library card to log into Ancestry.com. The site offers access to census records, immigration records and other types of other vital information. Anyone with questions can email the library at lincoln@minlib.net.

Book talk to be held via Zoom

The Lincoln Public Library and the Lincoln Land Conservation Trust present a Zoom discussion of Nature’s Best Hope: A New Approach to Conservation that Starts in Your Yard by Douglas Tallamy on Thursday, April 16 at 7 p.m. Tallamy argues that collectively, we can save biodiversity by turning our yards into conservation corridors filled with native plants. Registration is required for this Zoom meeting to share ideas and plans; click here to register.

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Piano concert on Saturday

Lincoln pianist Trevor Berens presents “Long Piano Project 2.0” on Saturday, March 7 from 3–6 p.m. at Bemis Hall. This is a continuation of his “Long Piano Project” with two solo piano pieces, each 75 minutes long. The first half is the U.S. premiere of composer Ian Wilson’s multi-movement piece, “Stations.” The second half of the concert is Morton Feldman’s “For Bunita Marcus.” Tickets are $20 at the door (cash or check).

Talk by author of “The End of Ice”

Join The Walden Woods Project and RESTORE: The North Woods for a Stewardship Lecture with Dahr Jamail on Thursday, March 19 at 7:30 p.m. (doors open at 7 p.m. for a wine and cheese reception with the author) at the Walden Woods Project headquarters (44 Baker Farm Rd.)

Jamail will discuss his award-winning book The End of Ice: Bearing Witness and Finding Meaning in the Path of Climate Disruption in which he journeys to locations experiencing the most dramatic impacts of climate disruption, climbing and diving alongside leading experts and front-line scientists. The End of Ice was named one of the Ten Best Science Books of 2019 by Smithsonian and is a finalist for the 2020 Pen/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award for exemplifying literary excellence. The book will be available for purchase at the event, with a book-signing by the author after the talk. This event is free, but registration is required.

L-S students go on Habitat for Humanity trip 

Among the group from L-S on the Habitat for Humanity trip to Balitmore were Lincoln students Anjuli Das (far right in gray sweatshirt), Gabriel Feinberg (back row, third from left), and Emily Griffith (back row, second from right). Other students were Keely Durning, Kares Mack, Gretchen Mills, Anna Cincotta, Jesus Tejeda, Emily Fisher,  Khadija Ceesay, Luca Nicastro,  Eric Wilson, Michael Cruz, Katherine Johnstone, and Anna Haberman, and L-S staff Susan Frommer, Steven Driscoll, and Regina Shopiro. Click image to enlarge.

Fifteen students from Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School, including three from Lincoln, took part in the L-S MLK Action Project’s annual Baltimore Habitat for Humanity trip over February break. For many years, Habitat of the Chesapeake (HHC) has selected entire neighborhoods in which to buy abandoned property and construct new homes. During their three days on site, HHC estimated that the L-S group completed $10,000 worth of work, which included picking up trash, shoveling and transporting dirt and debris, destroying and constructing fences, and smashing a concrete driveway to pieces as well as painting and some framing. Manual labor in place of down payments by HHC workers, volunteers, and future homeowners turn drug-infested, run-down neighborhoods with up to 95% home vacancies into safe communities. 

Wine and beer tasting to benefit Domestic Violence Roundtable

The Sudbury-Wayland-Lincoln Domestic Violence Roundtable invites the public to a free wine and beer tasting to support its annual Shower for Shelters at Sudbury Wine and Spirits (Rugged Bear Plaza, 410 Boston Post Rd., Sudbury) on Friday, March 27 at 7 p.m. Light refreshments will be provided by the Roundtable. A domestic violence survivor is also scheduled to speak.

Please bring a new, unwrapped housewarming gift to the event for families transitioning from shelters. Donations will benefit clients of Reach Beyond Domestic Violence, The Second Step, and Voices Against Violence as well as the transitional housing and shelter programs of these agencies. 

Requested items include twin size linens of all types, unscented cleaning products and laundry detergent, laundry baskets, kitchen utensils, flatware, dishes, drinking glasses, and small kitchen appliances. Gift cards are also welcome. If you’re unable to attend, there will be collection baskets at the Sudbury Police Department, the Wayland Public Safety Building, and the Lincoln Police Department from March 28 to April 13.

This year’s event will also include raffles of gift baskets and donations from members of the Sudbury Art Association. Winners do not need to be present at the drawing to win. Proceeds from the raffle will be used to purchase additional gift cards as part of the Shower for Shelters.

Used electronics fundraiser

The L-S girls’ softball team and Friends of Lincoln-Sudbury Softball (FOLSS) is sponsoring an electronics recycling fundraiser on Saturday, March 28 from 9 a.m.–noon at Feeley Field (200 Raymond Rd., Sudbury). Dispose of unwanted office and computer equipment as well as small appliances. Monetary donations will also be collected to safely dispose of electronics. Large appliances and items containing chemicals/hazardous waste materials cannot be accepted. Tax receipts will be provided. Click here for more information or email FriendsofLSSoftball@gmail.com.

Council on Aging activities for March 2020

Lincoln Academy with James J. Noble, PhD: Glacier National Park and Lewis & Clark
March 2 at 12:30 p.m.
Join Noble and 200 fellow riders as they embark on the American Lung Association Transamerica Bicycle Trek from to Atlantic City. You will experience the grandeur of the Glacier National Park in Montana as well as 660 miles of the Lewis and Clark Trail. This video and PowerPoint presentation will have two connected takeaways. The first regards the natural beauty of Glacier NP, the nearby Canadian Rockies, and a global geographical anomaly unique to Glacier. The second focuses on some intriguing political and historical questions regarding President Jefferson, Merriweather Lewis, the Louisiana Purchase, and the 49th parallel. The COA provides beverages and dessert. The lectures last about an hour, including a question and answer period. Participants are welcome to stay after the program to continue their discussion. All ages welcome.

Relax on a noticing walk with John Calabria
March 3 at 1 p.m.
Place: TBD
Come for a gently paced walk through nature guided by John Calabria on March 3 from 1 to 2:30 at a location posted at lincolnconservation.org. Bring walking sticks or walking poles if you like. If the weather is bad, call 781-259-9251 after 10 a.m. the morning of the walk for an update. Co-sponsored by the COA and Lincoln Land Conservation Trust.

[Read more…] about Council on Aging activities for March 2020