In photo (l-r), Mary Powers, Doreen Noble, Helen Brockelman and Jane Doyle, members of The Lunenburg Community Council, gather recently in Lunenburg for an informal meeting.

Photo and story by Livi Stanford

    A woman who had been out of the job market for a while was concerned about finding an outfit to wear to an interview with no means to buy one. A local resident struggled to pay their heating bills with the worry that they may be left out in the cold.

    These are just two examples of situations in the community, where people have looked for aid, especially now during this difficult recession.

    As a result, The Lunenburg Community Council was able to provide clothing for the woman, who landed the job and has helped to pay a certain amount toward an individual’s heating bill, so they don’t get their utilities shut off.

    “We can assist somewhat,” Jane Doyle, chairperson of the Lunenburg Community Council, said. “We can’t pay the $2,000 electric bill because all our money comes from donations, but we can help them pay toward their bill to help them work out a plan with the electric company.”

History

    The council, which was founded in January 1953 by five clergymen at Saint Boniface Church “to coordinate and supplement the activities of the voluntary organizations of Lunenburg,” includes 26 member agencies. These include such organizations and departments as Lunenburg’s Council on Aging, the police department, Saint Boniface Church and Friends of the Lunenburg Public Library, to name a few.

    The organization began helping individuals in the community in the ‘50s in assisting those who were displaced by fires, according to Barbara Raboin, treasurer of the organization and member since 1970.

    “It was a matter of reaching out to the people right away and helping them right away with (such items) as clothing,” Raboin said.

    According to a history sheet regarding the organization, many of its first accomplishments included gift packages sent to service men each Christmas, “ keeping record of men in service from Lunenburg, enlisting organizations to furnish transportation for Nashoba Monthly Health Clinic, furnishing personnel and helping to organize community blood typing…”

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