THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, OCTObEr 14, 2022 Page 19 THE SOUNDS | FROM PAGE 18 This weekly program will be guided by Coach Steve Boudreau and Coach Chris Tarantino. Children will learn good stretching techniques and the basics of exercise and cross-country running. Best of all, this will be a great way to make new friends. Participants need to wear a good pair of sneakers, dress in comfortable running clothes and bring a water bottle. For more details, contact Coach T (Not Mr. T.) at 781-854-6778. Sounds like a worthwhile and aff ordable fi tness program with lots of upside for grade school kids. Healthy StudentsHealthy Saugus (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.) Who we are: Healthy Students-Healthy Saugus (HS2) is a nonprofi t group of volunteers who are helping to off set food insecurity in households. HS2 provides students/families who 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 Saugus Public schools on Fridays to take home. Bags include such items as peanut butter, canned meals/soups/tuna/vegetables, pasta, fruit cups, cereal, oatmeal, goldfish, pretzels and granola bars. 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. To sign up go here to complete online form: https://forms.gle/ gmMGguycSHBdziuE9 Want to partner with us: We would love to partner with organizations, sports teams, youth groups, PTO’s, 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 HS2 relies on donations to create take home bags with a weekend full of meals. 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 Saugus seeks student poll workers Town Clerk Ellen Schena’s Offi ce is looking for student election workers. It is a great way for them to learn how their government functions and how important it is to vote. Sixteen-year-old students are eligible to work a half day (six to eight hours); 17-18-year-old students may work a full day (eight to 12 hours). All students can receive community service, which is imperative to them in order to satisfy their High School requirement mandated for graduation, or they can be paid for their hours worked. In addition, the Town Clerk’s Offi ce will gladly write letters of recommendation for the National Honor Society, Colleges, etc. Interested students can stop by Town Hall or contact the Town Clerk’s Offi ce to apply for work. Ask for Andrew DePatto, the Saugus Election Coordinator. He can be reached at 781-231-4102. Food pantry seeks volunteers Here’s a message from Pastor Joe Hoyle of the Cliftondale Congregational Church about a collaborative community commitment to help needy Saugus residents: “The Saugus United Parish Food Pantry is a partnership between the churches in Saugus to ensure that no one in our community faces food insecurity. “With faithful donations and volunteers, we have been able to give out thousands of meals to our neighbors in need throughout the years. The Food Pantry is open every Friday from 9:30am-11am, distributing pre-packaged groceries (including meat and produce) at 50 Essex St. “We are always in need of volunteers. If you would like to volunteer or donate, please contact Pastor Joe Hoyle, Executive Director at offi ce@clindalecc.org or 781-233-2663.” Looking for book donations The New Friends of the Saugus Public Library are asking for donations of gently used adult hardcover and softcover fi ction for the ongoing book sale in the Community Room. They would also appreciate donations of gently used children’s books. Please limit donations at this time to only fi ction and children’s books; they do not have storage space for other genres or media. Please... clean and newer books only – no tattered pages, bad odors, stains or dirty covers! Books may be dropped off at the Main Circulation Desk during business hours. Please do not place donations in the outdoor book drops. 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 six and a half 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 mvoge@ comcast.net. Do you have some interesting views on an issue that you want to express to the community? Submit your idea. If I like it, we can meet for a 15- to 20-minute interview over a hot drink at a local coff ee shop. And I’ll buy the coff ee or tea. Or, if you prefer to continue practicing social distancing and be interviewed from the safety of your home on the phone or via email, I will provide that option to you as the nation recovers from the Coronavirus crisis. If it’s a nice day, my preferred site for a coff ee and interview would be the picnic area of the Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site. S eninior enior eniorenior o by Jim Miller How Much Does an Average Funeral Cost? Dear Savvy Senior, How much does a typical funeral and body burial cost today? My wife and I are interested in prearranging our funerals but would like to have a cost idea before going in so we can plan and budget appropriately. Planning Ahead Dear Planning, It defi nitely pays to know what charges to expect when pre-planning a funeral. Most people don’t have a clue and can often be upsold thousands of dollars’ worth of extra services they may not want or need. Here’s a breakdown of what you can expect. Funeral Prices The fi rst thing you need to be aware of is that funeral costs will vary considerably depending on your geographic location, the funeral home you choose and the funeral choices you make. With that said, here’s a breakdown of what an average funeral costs, nationwide, according to the most recent data from the National Funeral Directors Association. Professional services fee: This is a basic non-declinable fee that covers the funeral provider’s time, expertise and overhead: $2,300. Transfer of the remains: This is for picking up the body and taking it to the funeral home: $350 Embalming and body preparation: Embalming is usually mandatory for open-casket viewing, otherwise it’s not required unless the body is going to be transported across state lines. Embalming costs $775. Other body preparations, which includes hairdressing and cosmetics runs $275. Funeral viewing and ceremony: If the viewing and funeral ceremony is at the funeral home, you’ll be charged for use of the chapel and any necessary staff . Costs: $450 for viewing, and $515 for funeral ceremony. Metal casket: This is a big money maker for funeral homes, with markups of up to 300 percent over the wholesale price: $2,500. Funeral transportation: Use of hearse and driver; $325 to transport the body to the cemetery. Use of a service car/van: $150. Memorial printed package: This includes printed programs and memorial guest book: $183. In addition to these costs, there are also a number of cemetery costs like the plot or mausoleum fee, the vault or grave liner that most cemeteries require, and the opening and closing of the grave, all of which can run between $2,000 and $3,000; and the gravestone, which typically runs between $1,000 and $3,000. You’ll also need to budget for related expenses like fl owers for the funeral ($200 to $400), the newspaper obituary fee ($100 to $800 or more), the clergy honorarium ($200 to $300) and extra copies of the death certifi - cate ($5 to $35 per copy depending on the state). All told, the average cost of a total U.S. funeral today with viewing and cemetery burial is around $12,000. Ways to Save If this is more than you’re willing or able to pay, there are ways to save. For starters, you should know that prices can vary signifi cantly by funeral provider, so it’s wise to shop around. If you need some help, there are websites you can turn to like Parting.com that lets you easily compare prices online based on what you want. When evaluating funeral providers, be sure you get an itemized price list of services and products so you can accurately compare and choose what you want. The most signifi cant way to save is to request a “direct burial” or “direct cremation.” With these options you and your wife would be buried or cremated shortly after death, which skips the embalming and viewing. If you want a memorial service, you can have it at the graveside or at your place of worship without the body. These services usually run between $1,000 and $3,000, not counting cemetery charges. Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book.
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