
r/holyoke

New app to help the homeless
I've been developing a free community resource platform called Gather, and I'd love to get honest feedback before continuing to expand it.
Gather is designed to make it easier for people to find help when they need it most. Using your current location, it displays nearby food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, emergency housing, healthcare and urgent care, addiction recovery services, crisis support, clothing assistance, and other nonprofit or public assistance organizations in one place.
But Gather is intended to be much more than a resource directory. One of its core features is helping reduce food waste while getting more food to people who need it. Grocery stores can subscribe to the platform and quickly post surplus food that would otherwise be discarded. Nearby food pantries, shelters, soup kitchens, and other aid organizations receive alerts so they can claim and coordinate pickup of available donations before they go to waste. All Subscription proceeds are intended to benefit Partnership to End Addiction.
Gather also includes a community support system that allows aid organizations to create public wish lists of the supplies they need most—everything from hygiene products and diapers to blankets, cleaning supplies, and other essentials. Individuals experiencing hardship can submit requests for needed items through participating organizations. When a donor purchases those items, they are shipped directly to a participating aid organization for local pickup, providing a simple and organized way to connect donors with people in need.
For people who simply want to help their community, Gather also provides an easy way to purchase essential supplies for individuals experiencing homelessness or financial hardship through participating organizations, allowing donors to contribute tangible items where they're needed most.
My goal is to build a platform that not only helps people locate assistance, but also strengthens connections between donors, nonprofits, grocery stores, volunteers, and the communities they serve.
The project is still actively being developed, and I'd really appreciate constructive feedback.
If you work with a nonprofit, grocery store, healthcare organization, or community program, would something like this be useful?
Whether you're a developer, someone who works in the nonprofit sector, or simply someone who wants to help others, I'd genuinely appreciate your perspective.
You can check it out here:
https://live-gather.org
Thanks for taking the time to look it over. Every piece of feedback helps move the project closer to becoming a genuinely useful tool for communities.
“New” Zen Sangha in Western Mass
The Forest Park Zen Sangha has found their new home in Holyoke, MA. We are a small, radically-open and engaged sangha, welcoming any and all, just as you are and for the benefit of all beings. We believe that Zen practice is for the relief of suffering here and now for all beings. This means that we not only engage ourselves in practice, but take our engagement off the cushion into the world, into the community.
Our new home will house our weekly sittings and dharma talks, family dharma practice, half/full day retreats, and any wedding, shower, or funeral services as needed.
Currently we gather for a Family Service (Sundays 10:30a) and a regular Sitting and Talk (Sundays 11a). We also host a “Spiritual Care for Activists” meeting once a month specifically for those involved in activism or simply feeling the weight of current events. That is on the second Sunday of each month at 1p.
Bows to All!
🙏🙏🙏
P.S. “New” because the sangha had met for several years in Springfield, but went on hiatus after Covid. We are happy to now reconvene in Holyoke!
All of the Above Trail Fest - AUGUST 29 at Northfield Mountain
AUGUST 29 The Venture Out Project x Beast Coast Trail Running: At this festival, we're making space for our identities - as trail runners, as outdoorsy folk, as people - which need more breathing room than the traditional binary gender options during race registration allow for. Here, we’re claiming All of the Above, and running with it.
The theme? To welcome EVERYONE. Specifically, we’re calling for queer and transgender runners, and their allies, to come play on the trails with us - regardless of competition or athletic level. No matter who you are, or what ‘box’ you might check, you are encouraged to participate - we’re celebrating the person, not the body, at this fest. Sign up here!