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Community Services Programs
All people have the right to food, clothing, shelter, warmth, and medical care. Because costs are so high, many in our community have to sacrifice one necessity for another- rent vs. food, heat vs. needed medication. Community Action can help.
Resources for Basic Needs
All people have the right to food, clothing, shelter, warmth, and medical care. Our Community Resources & Advocacy program (formerly First Call for Help) assists people in finding and gaining access to resources such as food, public benefits, social services, counseling, and financial assistance.
As an information and referral service, our staff connect Franklin County, Hampshire County, and North Quabbin residents to the many programs and services throughout our region. This program is not an emergency hotline.
Please review our list of services to see which program best fits your needs.
If you are struggling with utility bills, have received a shut-off notice, or are below a 1/4 tank of heating oil, we offer Heat and Utilities Shut-Off Assistance.
Having trouble putting food on the table? Visit our Food Pantry page.
Need health insurance? Confused how to apply? We can help you gain Access to Health Care.
Food Stamp Application Assistance is also available.
We have offices in Greenfield, Northampton, Orange and Ware. Please call the office closest to you for more information or to seek assistance.
Franklin County
393 Main Street
Greenfield, MA
413-475-1570
Hampshire County
17 New South St., Suite 116
Northampton, MA
413-582-4237
North Quabbin
119 New Athol Road, Suite 150
Orange, MA
978-544-8091
Ware
6 South Street
Ware, MA
413-967-4920
Free Tax Assistance
The Free Tax-Assistance Program helps low-income taxpayers prepare Federal and State tax returns.
For more information, please call 413-376-1136 or fill out the webform on the Free Tax-Assistance Program page.
Community Partnerships
CALLING ALL COMMUNITY PARTNERS!
Since its inception, Community Action has championed comprehensive, community-wide efforts to strengthen our community’s capacity to support all its members. The mission and core value statements adopted by the Board of Directors serve as a guiding light:
Community Action is dedicated to promoting economic justice and improving the quality of life for people with lower incomes. We believe that we can accomplish this mission only when our activities are directed by and inclusive of people with low income. Our efforts will be in response to local needs, conducted with an awareness of national trends and policies, organized within strong community-wide partnerships, and respectful of and sensitive to the diversity and strengths of all community members.
The agency’s partnerships in the community operate at three levels:
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The first level is intra- and inter-agency linkages that ease and enhance service delivery and case management on behalf of individual families.
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The second level of collaboration is participation in groups that benefit our region and the families we serve, including the Communities That Care Coalition, the Franklin County Resource Network, the Family Literacy Collaborative, the Strategic Partnership for Families and Youth (SPIFFY), North Quabbin Community Coalition (NQCC), Quaboag Hills Community Coalition (QHCC), and the Council of Social Agencies of Hampshire County (COSA). The community partnerships directly sponsored by Community Action are featured here.
Franklin County Hunger Task Force
Communities That Care Coalition
Franklin County Resource Network
Three County Homeless Youth Needs Assessment
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The third level of collaboration involves a blending of financial and programmatic resources to provide new or wrap-around services, including co-location. Within Community Action, several programs blend funds in order to provide the best possible service, e.g. Early Head Start and the Family Learning Center. Other partners at this level include Valuing Our Children, Quabbin Mediation, and DIAL/SELF Teen and Community Services.
For more information about our Community Partnerships, please contact:
Dane Kuttler, at dkuttler@communityaction.us