Taste of Community fundraiser to be held Sunday at Athol’s Uptown Common

ATHOL – The Community Bridge Fund will host the Taste of Community fundraiser Sunday at Uptown Common to benefit local families and individuals in need.

The event will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and will feature tacos, desserts, refreshing treats and live music. Organizers encourage visitors to bring lawn chairs or picnic blankets. Proceeds from the event will support the Community Bridge Fund.

“The biggest piece is that we want to bring the community together, celebrating different cultures,” Family and Community Center Director Shirley Mitchell said. “We were trying to do something first with the Latin community.”

Mitchell said the Community Bridge Fund was created about three years ago after representatives from Athol Congregational Church approached the Athol-Royalston Regional School District’s Family and Community Center about working together to better support families.

“We talked about setting up a flexible fund account where people from all agencies can make a referral in,” Mitchell said.

Referrals to the Community Bridge Fund are reviewed by a five-person committee that includes Mitchell, representatives from Athol Congregational Church and the North Quabbin Food Connector, along with other community members.

The fund serves families throughout the North Quabbin region, including both longtime residents and those new to the area.

Mitchell said families often seek assistance from the Community Bridge Fund after an unexpected expense.

“A family gets a car repair and they’re just making it paycheck to paycheck,” she said. “A big car repair, a big bill, the furnace goes down, something happens – it will set people back.”

Mitchell said the fund has helped pay for heat wrap tape to prevent pipes from freezing, as well as certified translations of documents in order to obtain driver’s licenses for people from other countries.

In addition to events like Taste of Community, the group has raised money through donation letters and other smaller fundraising efforts. Donations to the Community Bridge Fund may be made through Athol Congregational Church.

Mitchell said she hopes the Community Bridge Fund helps people feel more comfortable asking for help.

“We see the families coming in, they’re receiving help and then they’re also giving back,” Mitchell said. “I think that’s where you have your strongest community built.”