Due to the high demand they need your help! 

Here are the most needed donation items:

- Any type of pasta

- Mac & Cheese

- Cereal

- Canned goods i.e., soup, veggies, fruit etc.

- toiletries:  toothbrushes, tooth paste, soap, etc.. 

Donations can be dropped off at 580 Main St, Agawam, MA.   There is a bucket/barrel in the front office area near the receptionist Monday-Friday from 8:30am - 4:30pm.  Any questions please call 413-789-2930.

 https://www.fastcompany.com/90478307/stuck-at-home-take-free-drawing-classes-from-famous-illustrators

 https://www.scarymommy.com/mo-willems-lunch-doodles/

https://www.creativebloq.com/features/how-to-draw-animals-people-landscapes

https://kids.scholastic.com/kids/books/dav-pilkey-at-home/

Free Coloring pages:

http://www.nickelodeonparents.com/hub/coloring-pages/

https://www.crayola.com/featured/free-coloring-pages/

https://www.crayola.com/featured/free-coloring-pages/

How to make Playdough

https://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Make-Playdough-Play-doh/

Virtual Field Trips

• Explore the world with Nature Conservancy. You can visit China, Africa, the Pacific Ocean and much more... just clique here https://www.nature.org/en-us/about-us/who-we-are/how-we-work/youth-engagement/nature-lab/virtual-field-trips/
• The Smithsonian. The Museum of Natural History at the Smithsonian might be the most interesting assortment of artifacts anywhere in the world, and they offer a panoramic virtual tour at no charge to the public. Visitors navigate from room to room by using an interactive map. The self-guided tour is further enriched by designated hotspots on the screen that offer pop-ups to further explain displays and get a closer look. Exhibits like Ancient Seas, Fossil Mammals, Dinosaurs and many others are rendered in beautiful, high-definition interactive images with lots of interesting and compelling information. It’s a must-see website of a must-see museum. https://naturalhistory.si.edu/visit/virtual-tour
• NASA’s virtual field trip offers immersive multimedia information that’s sure to keep students interested and learning about our globe and man’s effort to leap its bounds into space. NASA’s website offers global views of Earth that resemble sites on Mars, and encourages students to learn about geologic conditions and common traits that increase knowledge of our world, and the worlds we might visit in the future. https://oh.larc.nasa.gov/oh/
• The Louvre  Enjoy a cultural tour of Ancient Egyptian artifacts, nineteenth-century Romanticism paintings, and other exhibits. https://www.louvre.fr/en/visites-en-ligne
• Mars. Explore the surface of Mars, as seen by the Curiosity Rover. https://accessmars.withgoogle.com/
• Johnson Space Center. Blast off with the Innovating the Future virtual field trip. https://www.boeingfutureu.com/virtual-field-trips/space
• Yellowstone National Park. One of our nation's treasure. Visit now https://www.nps.gov/yell/learn/photosmultimedia/virtualtours.htm
• The Cincinnati Home Zoo Safari. The Cincinnati Zoo is hosting "Home Safaris" each day at 3 pm EST on Facebook Live. Each day they'll highlight one of their resident animals—like Rico, the Brazilian porcupine—and they'll also include an activity that kids can do from home. If you miss the live videos, you can always catch it later on the zoo's YouTube channel.
• San Diego Zoo. How about a trip to sunny southern California? https://kids.sandiegozoo.org/index.php/animals

Resources for parents with anxious children by Michelle Murray LMHC

Childmind.org has a number of general articles and ones specific to COVID-19 to help with parenting children with anxiety, strategies to help children with autism and ADHD cope with COVID-19, how to manage melt-downs, dealing with loss, and ways to prevent passing your own anxiety onto your kids.  These are available in Spanish as well.

Nami.org “How to Ease Children’s Anxiety About COVID-19”

Psycom.net  “9 Strategies for Building Coping Skills in Children with Anxiety”, along with a section of articles to help kids with anxiety. 

Thevillage.org has a list of COVID-19 resources; scroll down to Additional Resources, then For Families, Parents and Caregivers. In particular, there is a link to mindheart.co for a printable book in several languages to help young children understand the virus.  This website is for a CT based organization but has a wide range of resources and links for free activities and online learning for kids from any location.

“It Will be Okay”: Trusting God Through Fear and Change by Lysa TerKeurst children’s book to help children manage fears and challenges.

Smiling Mind meditation app has guided meditations for ages 4+, in multiple languages and is free.

Resources for Adults

Crosswalk.com has compiled a wide range of faith based articles on coping with COVID-19.

National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI) has compiled a resource guide at https://www.nami.org/covid-19-guide

Christianbooks.com has posted a series of six 20-minute videos by Max Lucado, “Anxious for Nothing”.  It can be downloaded for free until 5/31/20.

Using Breath Prayers to calm anxiety:  

“How to Trade Stress for Peace Through Breath Prayers” by Whitney Hopler

Soulshepherding.org  “Breath Prayers from the Bible” by Bill Gauthier

Healthline.com “The Best Anxiety Apps of 2019”

Abide app - Bible stories for insomnia

YouTube, type in:

Relaxation music for sleep and stress relief

Relaxation breathing techniques

Progressive Muscle Relaxation

Mindfulness

5 Verses to Relieve your Worry and Anxiety

God’s Promises//Faith//Strength in Jesus

Positivepsychology.com  “The 34 Best TED Talks and Videos on the Power of Gratitude”

The Corona Virus has sparked fear, stress, uncertainty, hoarding, greed, panic, hostility and more! All of these things are not God’s desire for His people. In fact, Jesus calls us to courage, peace, boldness, generosity, level-headedness and kindness! If the people of God begin to exhibit the characteristics of the world in this hour, our Enemy, Satan, will win a great victory! However, if those who are committed to being Christ-followers will stand firm and seek His face in this moment, God will receive great glory!

Let’s resolve to lean into greater faith, asking God to revive and awaken us, His people. How then, should we pray in the midst of this “unknown” evil that has overtaken our entire world? Let’s look to God’s Word to inform our prayers:

1. Pray that a repentant people would turn to God seeking Revival: “Will You not Yourself revive us again, that Your people may rejoice in You “(Psalm 85:6)? John Avant of Life Action Ministries recently said, “…since this mighty God has invaded our hearts, since He inhabits our lives, we are not out of control. We live in His control. We are empowered with His purpose. We are a part of His plan.

BUT…we have departed from Him. I have and you have. We will feel out of control as long as we stay distant from Him, numb to His call to repent. We will continue to point fingers and fight among ourselves until we find ourselves more astonished by God than we are afraid of a disease or anxious to return to our past patterns. We will feel out of control until we give up our own control and humbly cry out in brokenness, “I am the problem!”

He continues, “If there is one thing above all else that is more important in these days (of dealing with Corona virus) than washing our hands, it is to return to God and let him wash our hearts!”

Prayer: Father God, Creator of the Universe, we bow our hearts before You in repentance. We have tried to control our own circumstances and figure everything out in the midst of the unknown rather than placing our trust in You. Forgive us, Lord, and turn our hearts back towards Yours. May we relinquish control of this harsh reality we are currently living in and trust You to work in the midst of it so that all the world is astonished at Your power and goodness. Help us to emerge from our brokenness before You as holy and purified followers of Jesus, ready to return to active duty on the front lines of Your kingdom instead of trying to control it or figure it out. We bless You, Lord, and ask for Your mercy as we humble ourselves before You.

2. Pray for God’s people to resist the Devil and have the abundant life Jesus gives us so that others might have it too: We have an enemy who wants to destroy the people of God as well as take out those who have yet to put their faith in Jesus. In John 10:10, Jesus says, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” And, James 4:7 says, “Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” This is an exciting time for the Church to live up to the expectations and commands of Jesus Christ! Loving and serving others flows from intimacy with the Father. Abundant life results!

 Prayer: Lord Jesus, You came to this earth to give those who follow You life…and not just any kind of life – abundant life! Strengthen us to be the Church You have called us to be so that we might draw others into this amazing abundant life. Help us to stand firm with Your spiritual armor in place (Ephesians 6:10-18), having great faith so that we might extinguish the flaming arrows of the evil one (Ephesians 6:16). Help us to live extraordinary lives of service, compassion, and generosity so that those outside of Christ will want what we have more than they want their own selfish desires! 

3. Pray that God’s people will overcome fear and anxiety with peace: It is very easy to get overwhelmed and fearful in the midst of the unknown, but God’s word says, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7). “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

Prayer: Prince of Peace, You calmed waves and storms and people wherever You went. May we be carriers of Your peace even when we cannot comprehend the scope of this destructive virus that threatens the lives and livelihoods of many. Help us to spread peace and not fear wherever we find ourselves. Guard our hearts and minds so that our emotions and thoughts are tuned into You instead of the uncertainty that swirls around us. Help us to be overcomers who help others through this crisis rather than those who live in fear and do nothing but help ourselves. We want You to be made famous because of how we represent You, Lord Jesus. 

4. Pray for the Church to rise to the opportunities God is giving us to show compassion, creativity and unity that will show off the power of Jesus: During this uncertain season, people are looking for help from the government and from the medical community, but it seems the Church is perceived as a superfluous entity affected by the virus through having to close its physical doors to contain the spread of the disease. What if the Church became the shining light on the hill, a beacon of hope and transformation, the Living Gospel of Jesus to our neighborhoods and communities? If ever there was a time, this is it! Let’s ask God for the Church to do extraordinary things through our Extraordinary God!
   Prayer: Compassionate Christ, help Your Church not to shrink back from doing whatever she can to meet needs, to bring hope, to give encouragement, promote unity and creatively reach people with the Gospel! Give us courage and strength to do the extraordinary! Bring us into unity with one another across different faith traditions to help in whatever ways we can, coming alongside of our local, state and federal government officials, first responders, the medical community and social services to meet the needs of people in unprecedented ways! May all that we can do in our humanness be done in the power and strength of Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of the Father!  Prayer: Pray Jesus’ prayer that He prayed over us in John 17:21-26 TLB: “My prayer for all of them is that they will be of one heart and mind, just as you and I are, Father—that just as you are in me and I am in you, so they will be in us, and the world will believe you sent me.“I have given them the glory you gave me—the glorious unity of being one, as we are— I in them and you in me, all being perfected into one—so that the world will know you sent me and will understand that you love them as much as you love me. Father, I want them with me—these you’ve given me—so that they can see my glory. You gave me the glory because you loved me before the world began!“O righteous Father, the world doesn’t know you, but I do; and these disciples know you sent me. And I have revealed you to them and will keep on revealing you so that the mighty love you have for me may be in them, and I in them.” 

5. Ask God to protect the elderly and those in compromised health situations who are the most vulnerable to this virus: We all know people who fall into the high risk group for being susceptible to Covid-19. Maybe you are in that group and are concerned. If so, a powerful and encouraging passage of Scripture to pray over your life is Psalm 23: “Because the Lord is my Shepherd, I have everything I need! He lets me rest in the meadow grass and leads me beside the quiet streams. He gives me new strength. He helps me do what honors him the most. Even when walking through the dark valley of death I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me, guarding, guiding all the way. You provide delicious food for me in the presence of my enemies. You have welcomed me as your guest; blessings overflow! Your goodness and unfailing kindness shall be with me all of my life, and afterwards I will live with you forever in your home.”Let’s join together and ask God for protection of anyone of any age who is at risk. Ask Him to bring healing to those who are ill as well. Here is a good blessing to pray for those you know in this high risk group: “Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well” (3 John 1:2).   Prayer:  Lord our God, You are good and filled with mercy. You are filled with compassion and love all You have made (Psalm 145). We ask You to remove sickness from our midst: “But you shall serve the Lord your God, and He will bless your bread and your water; and I will remove sickness from your midst” (Exodus 23:25). You love us beyond what we can imagine and have our best interests at heart. Please protect those who are elderly, have compromised immune systems, or have other health issues that put them at high risk for this disease. We ask for Your divine intervention and protection and that You will help healthy people to take great care to protect others and serve them.    

6. Come against depression for those who have lost jobs whose children are out of school, or who feel helpless or isolated: Being separated from loved ones and/or friends causes many people to struggle with feelings of being left alone and lost. Please consider how you can be an encourager and to pay attention to the situation of others who might be quarantined. For those whose work situations have changed, please be sensitive and creative. Consider hiring people who are out of work or find ways to support businesses that are working differently such as restaurants that are delivering food instead of serving food in a sit-down restaurant. Pray for parents of children who are out of school and may not be able to go to their jobs or get a good childcare situation. With the unknown comes uncertainty and fear. Ask God to use you to be an instrument He can use to be the hands and feet of Jesus for others.
   Prayer:  Father, thank You that we can cast all of our anxieties on You because You care for us (1 Peter 5:7). You know the plans You have for us…plans to prosper us and not to harm us, plans to give us hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11). Thank You that You heal those who are brokenhearted and bind up their wounds (Psalm 147:3), whether physical, spiritual or emotional. When the righteous cry for help, You hear them and deliver them out of all their troubles. You are near to the brokenhearted and save the crushed in spirit (Psalm 34:18). We are grateful that when those who labor come to you with heavy burdens, You will give them rest (Matthew 11:28). Lord, Your word says that You give families to those who are lonely and for that we are so thankful (Psalm 68:6). Please do this for those who feel that they have no one and feel depressed and alone. We pray for those families whose children are out of school for an uncertain amount of time. Provide for these families, Lord. Give them all that they need. Most of all, help us to remember that You have commanded us to “be strong and courageous” and not to tremble or be dismayed for You, the Lord our God are with us (Joshua 1:9). May the Gospel of Jesus be made famous in the midst of this virus. May the enemy be defeated and may the Church experience spiritual awakening that transforms individuals, families, businesses, schools, and our entire culture here in this nation and across the earth! In Jesus’ powerful Name, Amen! 

COPYRIGHT © 2020 · HARVEST PRAYER MINISTRIES

For more info visit http://springfieldrescuemission.org

Holyoke Police Department, Easthampton Police Department, and Hadley Police Department are all asking for donations of PPE.

If you have any masks you can drop them off at the Holyoke Police Department, Holyoke Fire Department or the Holyoke Hospital. Holyoke Police can also pick them up, call 413-536-6431 for more information.

The Easthampton Police Department is in need of masks and gloves. Contact Deputy Chief Hennemann at 413-527-4200 ext. 2140 if you’d like to donate.

Hot Table is providing a free meal to support workers including first responder organizations who are leading help to fight this public health emergency.

Click here to access a donation form https://hottable.com/lunch-for-heroes/

This link provides a list of all emergency day care centers in the state of Mass

https://eeclead.force.com/resource/1584913293000/EEC_EmergencyProviderList  

You can help by meeting the immediate needs:

14oz Hot Soup Cup Containers with lids

24oz microwavalbe dish containers with lids

Salt and Pepper Packets

Sugar Packets

Individual Creamers

16lb paper bags

Fruit Cups

Snack Sized Foods

For more information click this link.

They have provided YOU with helpful resources for your kids as well! Browse their site of Freebies, including reading resources, coloring pages, activity sheets, and more!  Check out the freebies here:  https://www.zonderkidz.com/resources/freebies/

• Hope for Kids is a local non-profit ministry right here in Springfield that’s making difference!  During this season, the team at HFM is posting new stories everyday so that kids can learn about Jesus while they’re stuck at home. These are really well done relevant stories that are produced locally!  To get text updates every time there a new story is posted text @hfkstory to 81010.
  
  You can catch up on all the stories you missed using this link.
  
  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCR4sNSCgEEy8yHEfGzNe0DA/videos

Live streaming service every Wednesday evening at 7pm and Sunday mornings 9 am and 11 am. You can join us by going to our website, www.bethany-ag.org or FaceBook at https://www.facebook.com/BethanyAssembly/.

Bethlehem Church of Hampden, MA

Weekly "Church at Home" Happenings visit BethlehemHampden.org/ChurchatHome. Live streaming Sunday service at 10am on Facebook at BethlehemHampden.org/Live

Calvary’s Love Church

Live streaming services Wednesday evenings at 7pm and on Sunday mornings at 10am on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Calvarys-Love-Church-469538113252142/

Celestial Praise Church of God

Live streaming services Yes on Zoom, YouTube and Facebook at 10 am on Sunday mornings and at 7pm on Tuesdays evenings

https://m.facebook.com/CelestialPraiseChurch/ 

On YouTube we are at Celestial Praise C.O.G.,

https://m.youtube.com/user/celestialpraisecog 

Zoom link is: https://zoom.us/j/310465484 

Meeting ID: 310 465 484

Christ Presbyterian Church of Springfield

Live streaming service every Sunday morning at 10am on Facebook at www.facebook.com/christpres

Church of Redemption

Live streaming services on Sunday mornings at 10am on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ChurchORAgawam/

Cornerstone Church of East Longmeadow

Live streaming Sunday service at 10:30am on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/CornerstoneChurchMA/

CrossLight Gospel Church

Live streaming services on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSI04sNEJ-jd3TeRTGOL36g and on their website at www.crosslightgospelchurch.org - click Прямой эфир)

Service times:

Sunday @10am

Sunday @6pm (English/Russian)

Tuesday @7pm (teens ministry)

Wednesday @7pm (English/Russian)

Friday @7pm (youth worship)

CrossLight youth live you can find on Facebook and Instagram (@CrossLight)

Faith Community Chapel of Ludlow

Live streaming Sunday service at 11am on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/faithcommunitychapel.org/

International Faith Outreach Ministries

Live streaming services on Sunday morning at 10am on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/International-Faith-Outreach-Ministry-IFOM-304671875510/

Legacy Church

Live streaming Sunday morning services at 9am and 11am on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/legacychurchofficial/. And on Youtube at https://m.youtube.com/user/icncov

LifePoint Church in Chicopee, MA

Tune in at 4:30 PM Saturday or 10:00 AM Sunday. You can access the stream by going to lifepoint.online/live or https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbCZxlYQ4Z4T_2tV_prvi_w

LifeStream Church 

Live streaming Sunday morning service at 10:30 am on Facebook at 

https://www.facebook.com/golife.stream/

Lighthouse Christian Church
Live streaming Saturday evening service at 6pm on Youtube at https://youtu.be/hBLY0TZtu8o

Living Hope Church of Southwick

Live streaming Sunday service at 10am on Facebook at https://facebook.com/livinghopechurchag/ and on Youtube at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCULyhvMdn1ElzaULR7SGN5A
 

Living Waters Fellowship Church of Windsor Locks, CT

Live streaming Sunday morning service at 10am and Wednesday evening service at 6:30 pm at https://living.online.church/ Plus, services every week day at 7pm on Zoom at https://zoom.us/j/8606235080 password 860.

New Day Church of Enfield, CT

Live streaming services every Sunday at 10am and 11:30am at live.newdaychurch.cc

New Hope Pentecostal Church of Springfield

Live streaming Wednesday evening bible study 8pm-9pm and Sunday morning service at 11:40am and Sunday evening worship at 7:30pm on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/New-Hope-Pentecostal-Church-153824461312037/

Orchard Covenant Church

Offering online pre-recorded online message through Youtube every Sunday at 11am at https://www.orchardcovenant.org/sunday-messages-music/

Pioneer Valley Church of Christ in Chicopee

Live streaming Sunday service at 10am on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/PioneerValleyChurchOfChrist/

Redeeming The Time Ministries

Offering pre-recorded teachings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/RTTMinistriesNDC/

Resurrection Center of Springfield

Live streaming Sunday service at 12 noon and Wednesday evening bible sessions at 7pm on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/trc413

Second Baptist Church of Enfield, CT

Live streaming Sunday service at 10:00 am. On your computer, smartphone or tablet, click this link: https://zoom.us/j/3439857181You can also call in from your cell phone or landline: 1 929 205 6099. When prompted, enter the Meeting ID: 343 985 7181.We will open our online "door" at 9:45 am.

Springfield Wesleyan Church
Live streaming Sunday morning service at 11am on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/lcfair.

Vox Church

Live streaming Sunday services at 10am, 12 noon, and 6 pm on Facebook at http://vox.churchonline.org/
 

Westfield Evangelical Free Church
Live streaming Sunday service at 10am on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/westfieldefc/ and on Youtube at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCk7k8Ck4kDtWLlTnwl2Pixg/live
 

Helpful thoughts & tips from a school psychology specialist:

*Dear parents with school aged children who are about to start day one of remote learning from an educator and mom:

You might be inclined to create a minute by minute schedule for your kids. You have high hopes of hours of learning, including online activities, science experiments, and book reports. You’ll limit technology until everything is done! But here’s the thing...

Our kids are just as scared as we are right now. Our kids not only can hear everything that is going on around them, but they feel our constant tension and anxiety. They have never experienced anything like this before. Although the idea of being off of school for 4 weeks sounds awesome, they are probably picturing a fun time like summer break, not the reality of being trapped at home and not seeing their friends.

Over the coming weeks, you will see an increase in behavior issues with your kids. Whether it’s anxiety, or anger, or protest that they can’t do things normally - it will happen. You’ll see more meltdowns, tantrums, and oppositional behavior in the coming weeks. This is normal and expected under these circumstances.

What kids need right now is to feel comforted and loved. To feel like it’s all going to be ok. And that might mean that you tear up your perfect schedule and love on your kids a bit more. Play outside and go on walks. Bake cookies and paint pictures. Play board games and watch movies. Do a science experiment together or find virtual field trips of the zoo. Start a book and read together as a family. Snuggle under warm blankets and do nothing.

Don’t worry about them regressing in school. Every single kid is in this boat and they all will be ok. When we are back in the classroom, we will all course correct and meet them where they are. Teachers are experts at this! Don’t pick fights with your kids because they don’t want to do math. Don’t scream at your kids for not following the schedule. Don’t mandate 2 hours of learning time if they are resisting it.

If I can leave you with one thing, it’s this: at the end of all of this, YOUR KIDS’ MENTAL HEALTH WILL BE MORE IMPORTANT THAN THEIR ACADEMIC SKILLS. And how they felt during this time will stay with them long after the memory of what they did during those 4 weeks is long gone. So keep that in mind, every single day.