Local authorities are asking residents to be alert for the following suspicious activity.

Individuals posing as landscapers, have been canvassing and targeting residents in the Tri-community area (particularly seniors) for services - in some cases starting work without authorization - then expanding the project along with the costs and expecting payment. 

In some cases they have issued business cards identifying their services which also state that: Seniors [who] need a ride or help getting to the store/doctors just call!

A red colored Ford Ranger pickup truck, equipped with a trailer, has been associated with such activity. Residents however, should be alert for any similar activity, regardless of the vehicle involved. 

It is important to use caution when being approached by strangers seeking to provide services, and we should ensure the legitimacy of these individuals prior to engaging in any agreements with them. Additionally, please note, that Sturbridge by-laws Prohibit the peddling, soliciting, or the hawking of goods, wares, merchandise, or services within the Town borders “…without first obtaining a license [or permit] from the Town Administrator”.

When in doubt, one should always contact local authorities.

The REAS Foundation 10K Circle of Friends, is hoping to raise $10,000 of it $20,000 goal from residents via a small $10.00 donation from 1000 Sturbridge families. We believe, that our shared commitment to the well-being of our senior citizens will enable us to meet that milestone.

The ever growing challenges now being shouldered by all of us in light of escalating energy prices, are certainly more daunting for our seniors on fixed incomes. Increased energy prices along with food, medications, and medical expenses, are already jeopardizing the economic stability of some of our seniors.

Please partner with us in providing hope and relief to Sturbridge seniors in need, by joining the REAS Foundation 10K Circle of Friends. Your gift of $10.00, will help provide much needed assistance to those seniors within our community who may now be facing choices between heating or cooling comfort, food, or medicine.

As a member of the REAS 10K Circle of Friends, you can take great pride in knowing that your donation will be completely directed towards providing assistance to Sturbridge seniors; our neighbors, perhaps our friends, but certainly, all members of our community.

Thomas R. Creamer
Executive Director

Donations may be sent to:

REAS Foundation
P.O. Box 737
Fiskdale, MA 01518
   508-434-4614    

email: info@reasfoundation.org

GAS PRICES THREATEN MEALS ON WHEELS PROGRAMS

Some elders may lose their daily meals

By P.J. Dickerscheid THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

CHARLESTON, W.Va.— Ruth M. Jones doesn’t know what she’d do without hot meals delivered daily to her home. The 81-year-old Charleston widow can’t walk or drive since a car wreck nine years ago left her stricken by arthritis.

“A lot of times I can’t even get into the kitchen,” said Jones, who relies on her Social Security check to cover the soaring costs of food and utilities.

Those same costs are squeezing the estimated 20,000 senior nutrition programs across the country that serve Jones and millions of elderly and frail Americans.

While most needs are still being met, advocates from California to New York worry that seniors will go hungry. They blame a nearly 20 percent increase in fuel and food prices over the past year, flat or reduced government funding, and an ailing economy that yields fewer donations. “All of that is generating a lot of anxiety,” said Bob Anderson, associate director of the Metropolitan Area Agency on Aging in Minneapolis-St. Paul.

(more…)

 CNN.com reported this morning that oil prices had crossed the $145.00 per barrel mark -  http://money.cnn.com/2008/07/03/markets/oil.ap/index.htm - signaling yet higher energy and fuel costs while increasing fears that the $150.00 per barrel mark may not be unrealistic after all. This increase comes at a time when “the European Central Bank (the U.S. Federal Reserve’s counterpart) is expected to boost a key rate in order to fight inflation; …a move hat could put even further pressure on the anemic [U.S.] dollar and send commodity prices even higher” as reported in a companion article by CNN.com -http://money.cnn.com/2008/07/01/markets/thebuzz/index.htm.

The news continues to indicate increasingly challenging times for us all relative to fuel and energy costs as well as all commodities dependent upon those resources. Clearly, these challenging times will be most difficult for our seniors on fixed incomes whose purchasing power is quickly deteriorating amidst the gathering storm.

As each of us make our own adjustments to deal with the increasing economic pressures now faced, be it diminished travel, reduced spending on non-essentials, purchases of alternative energy sources (i.e. pellet stoves, solar panels, geothermic energy systems, etc.), we are reminded that a percentage of our seniors on fixed incomes may have little in the way of choices to ease their burden other than prioritizing food or medications over heating or cooling.

Please join us in our efforts to bring relief to Sturbridge seniors in need by considering your tax deductible (501c status pending) donation to the REAS Foundation. A small $10.00 donation from 1000 families in Sturbridge will help us meet the challenge of our 10k Circle of Friends club, through which half of our overall $20,000 goal will be met by 1000 families or residents donating $10.00 each. It has been said that “it takes a village to raise a child”, and it is fast becoming a reality that it sometimes “takes a village” to help maintain the hope and dignity of our seniors.

Thomas R. Creamer
Executive Director

Donations may be sent to:

REAS Foundation
P.O. Box 737
Fiskdale, MA 01518

Last January, Southbridge Savings Bank established a program to “…provide $100 grants for senior citizens who need help paying for home heating costs and who live in communities the bank serves”. The $7,000 fund was instrumental in providing relief to seniors, who were then struggling to make ends meet while shouldering oil costs averaging $3.31 per gallon.

Now, just 6 months later, we see oil prices averaging $4.45 per gallon and gasoline now past the $4.00 per gallon mark. Diesel fuel has surpassed the $4.50 per gallon point and, along with oil and fuel costs, has driven the cost of all associated products and services upward, thereby placing ever increasing burdens upon all of us.

These financial burdens most often have their largest impact on our seniors, many of whom are on fixed incomes that no longer keep pace with the economy. Ever increasing numbers of our seniors will be forced to make choices, not between which vacation to take or not to take, or which coat to purchase or not to purchase, but rather, whether to fill a prescription, stock their refrigerator with bare essentials, or maintain even the slightest bit of warmth and comfort in their home.

This is certainly a harsh yet increasingly common reality for many of our seniors who have worked hard within their communities, contributed to our society, and sacrificed much throughout their lives. Now, at a time when most of them should be enjoying their twilight years with a degree of security and certainty, they instead find themselves nearing the brink of economic collapse due to an economy that has fast outpaced their incomes.

We at the REAS Foundation understand our obligation and responsibility to those who have given so much, and are committed to providing relief and energy assistance to our seniors. Inspired by the leadership and community commitment demonstrated by Savings Southbridge Bank last winter, we have brought together an incredible group of selfless individuals who are determined to find solutions for, and provide relief from, escalating energy costs for our most vulnerable community members - our seniors.

Please join us in helping to move this program forward. Your time, your efforts, and your donations will provide a foundation of hope for our seniors, who more and more are becoming forgotten members of our communities. Our goal is to raise $20,000 this year, with at least half of that coming by means of a simple $10.00 donation from 1000 families in Sturbridge. Please consider joining the REAS 10K Circle of Friends by sending your donation today.

Thomas R. Creamer
Executive Director