In today’s daily 5 Things You Need to Know feature, ThisWeekinWorcester.com explores five important items and stories that Worcester and Central Massachusetts residents should keep a close eye on.
These five things can cover a whole range of subjects and issues that we feel are pertinent to understanding what’s going on in the city and the cities and towns surrounding Worcester.
In today’s edition – Tuesday, November 30 – Attorney General Maura Healey’s office provides guidance for donating on Giving Tuesday, a Grown-Up Book Fair at Redemption Rock Brewing, Worcester Technical High School holds an open house, Cornerstone Bank helps a local charity fighting the sex trade receive a grant, and gas prices in Massachusetts remain the same as last week in Massachusetts.
AG Guidance on Charitable Donations for Giving Tuesday
Attorney General Maura Healey’s office issued guidance ahead of Giving Tuesday advising residents to make informed decisions when donating to charities.
Healey’s office also released a bulletin on Monday showing that only 43 percent of the funds that conventional professional solicitors raised on behalf of charities were transferred to charitable organizations in 2020 and 44 conventional professional solicitors collected $93 million through campaigns conducted in Massachusetts.
The AG’s Office encourages potential donors to ask questions when they are contacted by a professional solicitor:
- Is the solicitor calling your home a volunteer or a professional fundraiser?
- How much of every dollar donated will go to the charity?
- Confirm the charity’s name and the services it offers.
Professional solicitors are required by law to disclose certain information when asked and may not mislead prospective donors or misrepresent facts. While the AG’s Office has a variety of tools to address deceptive practices in charitable solicitation, the most effective means of preventing fraud is an educated donating public.
For additional information, Healey’s office also produces the Giving Wisely Advisory and the Donating Dos and Don’ts: A Guide to Charitable Giving.
Individuals with inquiries or complaints about charitable solicitations should call the Attorney General’s Non-Profit Organizations/Public Charities Division at 617-963-2101 or access the complaint form online.
Grown-Up Book Fair at Redemption Rock
Redemption Rock Brewing Company, at 333 Shrewsbury Street, hosts Hygge House Books on Wednesday, December 1, from 6:30 PM to 9 PM for its Grown-Up Book Fair: Holiday Edition.
The Grown-Up Book Fair: Holiday Edition includes:
- Gifts for everyone on your list (including you)
- Bookmarks and other novelty items
- Raffle prices
- Beer (of course)
Worcester Technical High School Open House
Worcester Public Schools invites members of the public to an open house at Worcester Technical High School, at 1 Skyline Drive, on Wednesday, December 1 between 6 PM and 8 PM.
For more information, visit the Worcester Public Schools website.
Cornerstone Bank Assists Local Charity Fighting Sex Trade
Cornerstone Bank nominated Living in Freedom Together [LIFT] for a grant from the Massachusetts Bankers Association Charitable Foundation. Cornerstone Bank CEO Todd Tallman nominated the Worcester based organization, which is committed to ending the sex trade, for a 2021 community grant.
LIFT received the $3,000 Honorable Mention Award.
“LIFT will be using the funds to support our annual LIFT Up The Holidays, where we hold a holiday celebration and drive to ensure that our participants, both in our programs and still being exploited in systems of prostitution, have gifts, support, and experience joy during an incredibly difficult season for many survivors,” said Nicole Bell, founder and CEO of LIFT Worcester.
Gas Prices Remain the Same as Last Week in Massachusetts
AAA Northeast reports changes in gas prices across the region on a weekly basis.
Massachusetts’s average gas price remained the same as last week, averaging $3.42 per gallon. That price is five cents higher than a month ago ($3.37), and $1.34 higher than November 29, 2020 ($2.08).
Massachusetts’s average gas price is three cents higher than the national average.
“It’s too soon to tell if fears of a global economic slowdown prompted by the Omicron variant will put downward pressure on oil prices for the long term,” says Mary Maguire, Director of Public/Government Affairs. “But for now, the upward pricing pressure caused by tighter supply and higher demand seems to have abated, and that seems to be stabilizing prices at the pump.”
AAA Northeast’s November 29 survey of fuel prices found the current national average to be one cent lower than last week, averaging $3.39 a gallon. Today’s national average price is one cent lower than a month ago ($3.40) and $1.27 higher than this day last year ($2.12).
Comparison to neighboring states, according to AAA Northeast:
