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THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, JANUARY 14, 2022 Page 11 THE SOUNDS OF SAUGUS | FROM PAGE 10 “Thankyou for All you do! “Yours Truly, “The Sketch Artist” Several “Shout-Outs” to Saugonians Some weeks, we receive nominations for folks to recognize in our “Shout-Outs.” Some weeks, we get a bunch. And it’s always great to receive multiple nominations from our readers for people who deserve to be recognized for doing something for the betterment of Saugus. Making this week’s nominations are: • Ruth Berg: “SHOUT OUT to Friends of Saugus information and news. (A private group on Facebook.) I have Covid-19 and Sunday, January 9, someone egged my front door. The outpouring of all kinds of help was overwhelming. I was amazed at how many people (and how many I don’t know) offered to clean the door, deliver groceries, do my errands, etc., etc. “It is so heartwarming to know there are so many good people in our midst. In these times when we are all so fortunate to be survivors, a bad ‘egg’ is doing harm to innocent people. Our hope is that persons of that mindset would reverse their thinking and gift eggs to needy people.” • Chris Riley: I’d like to offer a “Shoutout” this week to the Northeast Metro Tech Build Committee. This committee, which includes a number of Saugus residents, has held public forums each Wednesday now for each of the past 5 weeks, except for Christmas week, and has gone to great lengths to educate the public about the project, and provided regular opportunities for the public to ask anything and everything about the project, so that voters have accurate information before they vote on January 25. I appreciate their efforts!” • The Sketch Artist: “I’d like to give a BIG HUGE THANKYOU & Shout out to Del, the past manager/owner of 1204 Broadway Rt. 1 Saugus Dunkin Donuts for Sponsoring The “Guess Who Got Sketched Contest.” Del Sponsored the Contest with #70 $ 10.00 Dunkin Donuts Gifts cards that were ALL given away as prizes to the WINNERS! Winners who called/emailed in with correct answers and were picked out of a green Red Sox Hat by the Saugus Advocate Editor each week! The Last $10.00 gift card number #70 is going out to Winner Doug Pogson for entering/guessing correctly & name drawn for last week’s sketch of Gordon Shepard! Thankyou Del with ALL my heart!!! Yours Truly ‘The Sketch Artist.’” Want to “Shout-Out” a fellow Saugonian? This is an opportunity for our paper’s readers to single out – in a brief mention – remarkable acts or achievements by Saugus residents or an act of kindness or a nice gesture. Just send an email (mvoge@ comcast.net) with a mention in the subject line of “An Extra Shout-Out.” No more than a paragraph; anything longer might lend itself to a story and/or a photo. Friday breakfasts at Legion Hall still on hold Concerns about COVID-19 have led to a temporary shutdown of the popular Friday morning breakfasts at the Saugus American Legion Cpl Scott J. Procopio Post 210 Legion Hall located at 44 Taylor St. Legion Hall was supposed to reopen recently for the breakfasts, but the reopening has been delayed again. Debra Dion Faust, Building Manager of American Legion Post 210, said the American Legion membership voted to delay the reopening until Friday, Feb. 4. Live Bingo at the Kowloon The Kowloon Restaurant kicked off its Live Bingo this week and will continue with Bingo every Wednesday through March 30 from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Hong Kong Room. Prizes will be given away each week with a grand prize set at the finale. A full Chinese gourmet is available during Bingo featuring pupu platters, egg rolls, crab Rangoons, Saugus Wings, General Gau’s chicken, lobster sauce, fried scallops, lo mein, moo shu pork, salt and pepper calamari, and sushi along with a full bar menu, including the signature mai tais. Call the Kowloon Restaurant at 781.233.0077 to reserve your table. Town posts Compost Site Winter Schedule The Town of Saugus has announced that the community’s compost site and recycling center will be open to residents the third Saturday of the month during the winter months. The site will be open tomorrow (Saturday, Jan. 15), February 19 and March 19 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. The site is located behind the Department of Public Works at 515 Main St. Yard waste must be disposed of in brown compost bags or open containers. The Town will accept grass clippings, leaves and brush. As in years past, no branches or limbs larger than three inches in diameter are permitted. At this time residents will not need a compost site sticker to access the site. The Town asks all residents to please wear a mask and maintain and respect social distancing from others while visiting the site. Residents may call Lorna Cerbone at the Solid Waste and Recycling Department at 781-231-4036 with questions or for more information. Trash/Recycling one-day holiday delay The Town of Saugus has announced that the trash and recycling collection will run on a one-day delay from Tuesday, January 18, 2022, through Saturday, January 22, 2022, due to the observance of Martin Luther King Day. There will be no collection on Monday, January 17, 2022, due to the holiday. Services will resume on a one-day delay from Tuesday, January 18, 2022, through Saturday, January 22, 2022. Trash and Recycling will continue to run on a oneday delay for the remainder of the week. The Town of Saugus would like to thank everyone for their cooperation. Please contact Solid Waste/Recycling Coordinator Lorna Cerbone at 781-231-4036 with any questions. Want to be a Knight? The Knights of Columbus is looking for new members to join. If interested in becoming a member of this local organization, please call 781-233-9858. Healthy Students-Healthy Saugus program (Editor’s Note: The following info is from an announcement submitted by Julie Cicolini, a member of the Board of Directors for Healthy Students-Healthy Saugus, providing information about the program.) Who we are: Healthy Students-Healthy Saugus (HS2) is a nonprofit group of volunteers that are helping to offset food insecurity in households. HS2 provides students/families that enroll in the program a supply of nutritious food for when school lunches and breakfasts are unavailable to them on weekends. How HS2 can help you: HS2 bags are distributed at school on Fridays to take home. Bags include such items as peanut butter, jelly, a loaf of bread, canned meals/soups/tuna/vegetables, pasta/sauce, fruit cups, cereal, oatmeal, goldfish, pretzels and granola bars. To sign up go here to complete online form: https://forms.gle/gmMGguycSHBdziuE9. Want to partner with us: HS2 relies on donations to create take-home bags for a weekend full of meals. All food is provided to children free of charge. It is our hope these resources will support the health, behavior and achievement of every student who participates. We would love to partner with organizations, youth groups, PTOs, businesses and individuals to assist in feeding students of Saugus. To learn more about how you can partner with us, visit the Healthy Students-Healthy Saugus Facebook page or email us at HS2Saugus@gmail.com. Checks can also be sent directly to: Salem Five C/O Healthy Students-Healthy Saugus, 855-5 Broadway, Saugus, MA 01906. Online donations can also be made at https://givebutter.com/HealthySaugus. Food Pantry still open The Saugus United Parish Food Pantry continues to remain open on Fridays between 9:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. despite concerns over the Coronavirus. They have made adjustments to protect their core of volunteers and the needy people who receive the food. For the protection of volunteers & clients, and to limit personal contact and crowding/gathering, the food pantry has been distributing pre-bagged groceries. Even though clients may receive items they don’t want or need, food pantry organizers feel this is the best course of action to mitigate the potential spread of COVID-19. Those in need, even for short-term or one-time assistance, are encouraged to come. The food pantry is in the basement of Cliftondale Congregational Church at 50 Essex St. in Saugus. Clarifying some veterans’ issues Jay Pinette, the Veterans Service Officer for the Town of Saugus, wanted to pass along a few words to promote a better understanding of how his office works. “Veterans Service Officers (VSOs) are not VA employees and do not have direct access to VA systems or information,” Jay wrote in an email to us. “Local VSOs are employees of their respective cities and towns. VSOs are generally able to assist veterans and eligible dependents with VA-related claims and benefits activities. “One of the primary duties of the VSOs is to administer a program for veterans and eligible dependents that is referred to as ‘Chapter 115’. Under Chapter 115 of Massachusetts General Laws (M.G.L. CH. 115), the Commonwealth provides a uniform program of financial assistance for low income veterans and their dependents. Qualified veterans and their dependents who meet the income and asset eligibility criteria may receive monthly financial benefits that are intended to assist the veteran with housing and living expenses. “If local Veterans wish to enroll in VA healthcare and/or obtain a VA ID card, representatives from the VA Bedford will be on-site at the Lynn VA Clinic twice a month. The on-site enrollment will be held on the 1 st and 3 rd Tuesday of each month from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm. Appointments are advised and the dates and times are subject to change. The Lynn VA Clinic is located at 225 Boston Street, Suite 107. For more information or to schedule an appointment for enrollment, call 781-687-3348 or e-mail vabedoutreach@va.gov. “The Veterans Services Offices of Saugus and other surrounding communities have partnered with the Greater Boston Food Bank to hold monthly mobile food markets for veterans. With the closure of the Saugus Senior Center during the pandemic, the food market was moved to Melrose. We have now moved the food market back to the Saugus Senior Center. The veterans mobile food market is held on the third Wednesday of each month. Veterans and eligible dependents must sign up with the Saugus Veterans Service Office to determine eligibility. VSO Jay Pinette can be reached at 781-231-4010 or at jpinette@saugus-ma.gov. Or on the first floor of Saugus Town Hall at 298 Central Street, Saugus MA 01906.” Let’s hear it! Got an idea, passing thought or gripe you would like to share with The Saugus Advocate? I’m always interested in your feedback. It’s been close to six years since I began work at The Saugus Advocate. I’m always interested in hearing readers’ suggestions for possible stories or good candidates for “The Advocate Asks” interview of the week. Feel free to email me at THE SOUNDS OF SAUGUS | SEE PAGE 15

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