In our community: Hearts & Paws Fundraiser; Rep. Doherty hosting office hours

13th annual Hearts & Paws at Taunton Animal Shelter

The Taunton Animal Shelter is holding its 13th annual Hearts & Paws Fundraiser from Jan. 14 through Feb. 14.

Share some love with a pet currently awaiting a new home and family at the Taunton Animal Shelter. Visit www.tauntonshelter.petfinder.com to make a donation in honor of a particular pet at the shelter and/or deliver a special toy/treat/gift for the pet of your choice. This can also be done as a special gift for someone for Valentine's Day and/or in memory of someone.

Forms will be available at the Taunton Animal Shelter, 821 W. Water St., via email at paws4blue@aol.com, at Robin's Corner Flower Shop, or at Raynham Town Hall.

Your name and the name of your pet(s) of choice will be noted on the shelter's website and also at the shelter itself. In addition, you will receive a photo of the pet you have chosen to sponsor.

Rep. Doherty to host office hours

State Rep. Carol Doherty, D-Taunton, will be hosting office hours on Thursday, Jan. 27, from 4 to 6 p.m.

Appointments can be made for in-person or over Zoom.

Anyone wishing to meet with her can schedule an appointment by emailing phillip.duarte@mahouse.gov or by calling 508-802-4291.

Commonwealth Alternative Care recreational celebration postponed

Commonwealth Alternative Care, Taunton's first recreational marijuana dispensary, has postponed its celebration for its recent commencement of adult-use sales, due to a winter storm expected to hit the region on Saturday, Jan. 29. A new date has yet to be announced.

When the celebration does happen, guests can enjoy non-infused edible tastings from their in-house kitchen and Executive Chef Dave Topian, a terp bar with access to and education from lab and cultivation experts, live glass-blowing demonstrations and food from local food trucks.

Guests can also check out on-site pop-ups from Nova Flora, Wana Brands Airo and Old Pal, and take home swag including hats, T-shirts and chillums.

Purpose Locker will also be on-site collecting personal care items and monetary donations to support the local unhoused community.

Commonwealth Alternative Care is located at 30 Mozzone Blvd.

Morton Hospital virtual hiring events

Morton Hospital will host virtual hiring events on Tuesday, Jan. 25, from noon to 4 p.m., and Wednesday, Jan. 26, from 9 a.m. to noon.

The hospital is currently seeking candidates for a number of both clinical and non-clinical career opportunities, including: registered nurses (for behavioral health unit, intensive care unit, emergency department, operating room and general medical/surgical floors), nursing assistants, patient safety sitters, mental health associates, environmental service aides and security guards.

Interviews will be scheduled for qualified candidates. Anyone interested in attending the virtual events and applying for an open position should register via the event page, which can be found on Eventbrite, on the Morton Hospital Facebook page, on the events page at mortonhospital.org, or by going directly to https://pm.healthcaresource.com/cs/steward/#/job/71745.

For a full list of available positions at Morton Hospital, or to apply online, visit jobs.steward.org.

January events at the Old Colony History Museum

Join the Old Colony History Museum for family-friendly events, both in person and virtually, for the month of January. To see everything on offer and to register for Zoom events, visit www.oldcolonyhistorymuseum.org/events.

January Events at the OCHM:

A Taste of Old Colony History

Thursday, Jan. 27, from 6:30 to 8 p.m.

A Taste of Old Colony History is expanding. OCHM will make the recipe and record how it went. Then the video will premier in the usual Thursday night time slot live on Zoom and will be followed by a Conversation from the Kitchen, to discuss more about the history, cooking process, and nostalgia that the recipe inspires. To join in, register on Eventbrite. You’ll have access to the recipe card for that month, and you can make it ahead of the program to share your thoughts or come to watch the cooking show and hear the history lesson. After the program, cooking videos will be uploaded to YouTube, so viewers have the option to watch later and cook on their own time. For January, you'll be cooking up: Brown Bread and Baked Beans! For the recipe and to register, visit http://oldcolonyhistorymuseum.eventbrite.com or call 506-822-1622.

About the Old Colony History Museum

The Old Colony History Museum is located on historic Church Green in Taunton. Regular museum hours are Tuesday to Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission to the museum is $5 and free for museum members.

Taunton Art Association photography show

The Taunton Art Association is having its first photography show on Saturday, Jan. 29, from 1 to 4 p.m., and Sunday, Jan. 30, from 1 to 4 p.m.

An opening reception will take place on Saturday at 1 p.m., and the awards ceremony will take place on Sunday at 3:30 pm.

The Taunton Art Association is located at 42 Williams St.

Admission to the show is free.

For more information, visit www.tauntonarts.org.

Bristol-Plymouth offers dental assistant certification program

Bristol-Plymouth Regional Technical School is offering a dental assistant certification program.

This program is meant for adults, and there will be a free informational session on Monday, Jan. 31, 2022 at 7 p.m., in the Dental Assisting building at B-P, 207 Hart St.

The session will review admission requirements, tuition, lab fees, and what will be expected of students. The next evening program begins in Sept. 2022.

In a press release, B-P noted that the Board of Registration in Dentistry now requires all dental assistants to be registered with the board to be employed in a dental office. The B-P program provides the tools necessary to obtain licensure.

Call 508-823-5151, Ext. 240 to register for the free information session.

Registration for Boys & Girls Clubs' Spring 1 session opens Jan. 31

Registration for Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro South’s Taunton Clubhouse’s Spring 1 programming session opens on Jan. 31.

The session will run from Feb. 28 through April 15 and will include new and returning offerings, an aerobic step class for girls, and group and private swim lessons for members. Specialty enrichment programs are offered in addition to the Clubs’ daily after school enrichment programs, which run Monday to Friday, from school dismissal to 6:30 p.m. for ages 5-12, and until 8 p.m. for ages 13-18.

For youth ages 3-4, BGCMS is offering a special early ed “Artventures” program on Monday nights that is designed to help children express their creativity through activities and lessons, including shapes, colors, patterns, and textures.

A photography program for ages 8-12 will be held on Mondays and presents children with the opportunity to learn the basic principles of photography, including light, color, composition and subject, and put their skills to the test.

All preteen and early ed programs have a cost range of $15 to $55 for the entire 7-week session.

Participants must register as BGCMS Club members and pay a one-time $35 annual membership fee.

For athletics, the Taunton Clubhouse will be offering “Girls Aerobic Step Class” — an athletic program designed to teach girls ages 9-12 the fundamentals of aerobic dance and give them an opportunity to practice confidence and self-love.

Winter programming also includes Torch Club and STEM Kids.

Swim lessons continue at BGCMS, as well as the Tiger Sharks Swim Team for Taunton’s more experienced and competitive swimmers. One-on-one private lessons are also available for members, all of which take place in the Taunton Clubhouse’s indoor heated pool.

For more information on specialty enrichment programs or before and after school programs at the Taunton Clubhouse, visit bgcmetrosouth.org.

Ski with Central Congregational Church

The Central Congregational Church in Middleboro invites you to come ski and snowboard with them most Saturdays at the Blue Hills Ski Area. The ski club, known as the Crusaders Ski Team, is open to everyone in the region.

All ages and abilities are welcome and some scholarships are available. Reservations are required. For more information or reservations, call Rev. Doug Forbes at 508-923-9724.

Dermody Cleaners holding Coats for Kids drive

Dermody Cleaners in Taunton is holding its 29th annual Coats for Kids drive.

Coats for Kids aims to provide underprivileged children in Greater Taunton with warm winter coats and jackets.

Dermody Cleaners will clean the donated coats free of charge and will deliver them to Saint Vincent de Paul Society’s Center on Washington Street for distribution.

This year, the Taunton-area has been so eager for the collection to start, that Dermody is starting the campaign a month early, they announced in a press release. Traditionally a January event, the business will collect coats in both December and January.

Residents of the area are invited to donate children’s gently-worn winter coats to any Dermody Cleaners location: 34 Cohannet St.; 648 County St.; 330 Bedford St. in Lakeville; and the Press Club on Route 6 in Somerset.

“This year feels different in so many ways," Terry Dermody said. "My grandson just turned 2 years old, and I cannot imagine him not having a winter coat. It makes me want to try harder to help our community even more. No child should be cold. He’s the fourth generation Dermody child to assist with this drive, and I want him to learn how important it is to help others. I cannot thank the Taunton community enough for their enthusiasm to donate coats this year, it was so emphatic that it was an easy decision for me to start the Coat Drive early.”

Dermody would also like to thank Crossed Sabers Ski & Sport of Raynham, Berkley Middle School, the Segregansett Country Club and Taunton Extended Day Care as well as the Saint Vincent DePaul Society for their continual cooperation.

The Saint Vincent de Paul Center is located at 141 Washington St. in Taunton and is open Monday to Friday, from 9 a.m. to noon and Wednesday evenings from 5:30 to 7 p.m., for the food pantry.

In the event of an emergency, anyone can call upon the Vincentians to respond at once. The telephone number for such an emergency is 1-508-823-6676.

The Coats for Kids campaign is the main community service campaign conducted by Dermody Cleaners. Other community projects include their holiday food drive and ongoing support of the Boys and Girls Club of Metro South. For more information, call Terry Dermody at 508-822-6161 or visit www.dermodycleaners.com.

Freetown Council on Aging

On Mondays, the pool table is available at 9 a.m., knitting and crocheting club is at 10 a.m., and card games (Pitch) are from 1 to 3 p.m.

Bingo is on Tuesdays, from 1 to 3 p.m.

Scrabble is on Thursdays at 1 p.m.

Art class is on Wednesdays at 9 a.m.

The COA has a veterans agent. Call the COA for further information.

“20-20-20” classes with Ellie are on Mondays and Fridays at 9:30 a.m. behind the COA, rain or shine. Bring water bottle, hand weights and folding chair. Suggested donation is $5.

Call Monday thru Friday to schedule an appointment with the senior van service.

For SHINE, call the COA for an appointment.

The Freetown Council on Aging is located at 227 Chace Road in East Freetown. They are open Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and on Fridays, from 7:30 to 10:30 a.m.

For more information, email Barbara at Freetowncoa@aol.com or Rosemary at Freetowncoa@comcast.net or call 508-763-9557.

Help make watershed plan for Taunton's drinking water

The Assawompset Ponds Complex and Nemasket River are unique among waterbodies in the diversity of uses that they support, which include recreation and scenic beauty, drinking water supply for 250,000 people in New Bedford, Taunton and beyond, and essential migratory habitat for river herring and endangered species.

The Assawompset Ponds Management Team is seeking the insight and local expertise of the broader APC-Nemasket watershed community to enrich and support an ongoing project to develop a Watershed Management and Climate Action Plan that reduces flood hazards, protects drinking water supplies, improves storm water management, and enhances habitat and recreational access.

Funded by an MVP Action Grant from the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, a team of multi-disciplinary specialists has joined with the APC Management Team to serve as a project Steering Committee guiding the development of the Watershed Plan. The Steering Committee includes participants from: Freetown, Lakeville, Middleboro, New Bedford, Rochester, and Taunton.

All residents living in or relying on waters from the APC-Nemasket watersheds are a vital part of the stakeholder network whose actions can support watershed health and climate resilience. Your watershed stewardship efforts can begin or continue with participating in an inclusive community engagement process. Through a series of public workshops, community members are invited to share their personal experience of existing conditions throughout the watershed, and insight into potential management actions.

These public meetings will focus on a particular topic as it relates to the watershed. There are two options for participation — an in-person workshop or a virtual meeting via Zoom. In-person events will be held outdoors, with activities for children and light refreshments available. The in-person and Zoom meetings, while separate, will occur on the same date and time. In the case of inclement weather, the meeting will be held solely on Zoom. Use the registration form available at https://bit.ly/register-apc to receive additional in-person meeting details and Zoom link access.

Ecology and Unique Habitats

• March 23, 2022, from 5 to 7 p.m., location TBD in Middleboro

Recreation and Stewardship

• April 13, 2022, from 5 to 7 p.m., location TBD in Rochester

Land Development

• April 27, 2022, from 5 to 7 p.m., location TBD in Freetown

Open House — Meet your Plan!

• June 1, 2022, from 6 to 8 p.m., location TBD in Lakeville

Visit the project webpage at www.SRPEDD.org/apc-nemasket-plan to take a virtual tour of the watershed, learn more about the plan, sign up for project updates and meeting announcements, register for upcoming events, review past presentations and meeting summaries, and provide additional input via written comments. For those without access to a computer, call the project hotline at 508-938-6031. Leave your name and number, and organizers will follow up with instructions for accessing by phone.

To submit your news

To share your events with the community, reach out to the Taunton Daily Gazette newsroom at newsroom@tauntongazette.com.

Taunton Daily Gazette/Herald News copy editor and digital producer Kristina Fontes can be reached at kfontes@heraldnews.com. Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to The Herald News and Taunton Daily Gazette today.

This article originally appeared on The Taunton Daily Gazette: In our community Hearts & Paws Doherty office hours retail pot