In just the last month, the American Red Cross has helped tens of thousands of people whose lives were uprooted by massive back-to-back disasters — the Midwest derecho, the continuing and relentless wildfires in the west, Hurricane Laura — and now the not-for-profit organization is mobilizing supplies and volunteers to help again as Hu

Feed Albany and the South End Children’s Café are accepting donations to provide food for those who need it in the midst of the pandemic.

The Switzkill Valley Volunteers, a recently developed charity group that focuses on individuals, has opened up a Little Free Pantry at the Helderberg Lutheran Church in Berne. Donations of nonperishable foods and other resources may be dropped off and picked up at will. Unlike a traditional food pantry, there is no criteria that must be met in order to access the donations. 

Community Caregivers, based in Guilderland, a not-for-profit that uses volunteers to help people stay in their homes, is currently providing a number of services.

The Helderberg Ambulance Squad has enlisted volunteers and is asking for more to help sew gowns to be worn by squad members as they work in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. The gowns will be waterproof and washable, meaning they can be reused. “ ... We didn’t ever wear gowns that often so we didn’t have enough [when the virus hit],” Mildred Zuk, an emergency medical technician, told The Enterprise. 

Millie Zuk, Helderberg Ambulance

Mary Jo Batters was, as she puts it, “cloistered” for six years, caring for her mother who had dementia. She learned some important life lessons in those years, such as the way the core of a person remains. Her mother, who was a nurse, cared about people up until the very end.

Westmere Fire Department is in good shape, in terms of recruiting and retaining volunteer firefighters, according to President Barry Nelson. 

Just 33 years old, Kyle Haines will be the next chief of the Altamont Fire Department on Jan. 1. 

"A lot of things are in the air,” said Westerlo’s acting supervisor of ambulance coverage.