Vaccination plans to be explained at Virtual Veteran Town Hall

AUGUSTA — A Virtual Veteran Town Hall will take place from 3 to 4 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 3, so the VA Maine Healthcare System can discuss the latest news on the COVID-19 vaccine and its planning efforts to administer the vaccine.

Those who join via Adobe Connect will be able to type in questions live during the session. Those who join by phone will only be able to listen by phone. Anyone who plans to join by phone should email questions in advance to VAMEEngagements@va.gov.

Join using the website, va-eerc-ees.adobeconnect.com/rsle33crqquu, or call 1-800-767-1750, code, 11234#.

‘Green Church’ to sponsor take-out supper

MEXICO — The Mexico Congregational Church, UCC (the “Green Church”), 163 Main St., will have a take-out supper from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 5.  The menu will consist of chicken pie, mashed potatoes and gravy, carrots and peas, cranberry sauce and apple crisp.

The price is $10 a meal, which may be reserved by calling 207-364-8603 after 1:30 p.m.

CDC protocol will be observed during pick-up, with masks required and social distancing.

Congregational Church sponsoring Tree of Peace and Love

WATERFORD — The North Waterford Congregational Church will once again sponsor the Tree of Peace and Love in front of the church to raise funds to help needy families in the area.

Community members are invited to purchase a light bulb in memory or in honor of a loved one or ones. As light bulbs are purchased, the tree will become covered in light.

To purchase bulbs, make a check payable to Oxford County United Parish and mail to 346 Bisbeetown Road, Waterford, ME 04088, with the name(s) of the people to be honored.

Virtual webinar to be held on collecting health data

AUGUSTA — The University of Maine at Augusta, in partnership with Maine Public Health and New England Public Health Training Center, will host a virtual webinar featuring Dr. Rhea Boyd, MD MPH, who will speak on “An Anti-racist Imperative for Public Health Data” from noon to 1:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 3.

The event is open to the public, but registration is required. For additional information and to register, visit nephtc.org. Continuing education credits are available.

Boyd will discuss public health data collection and how data integration platforms should be designed to “do no harm.” The webinar will explore the “ways public health data can be used to address and reinforce social inequality” and “to articulate anti-racist approaches to public health data collection.”

Colleges get donations for equipment, food

PORTLAND — The Senior College at USM’s Lewiston-Auburn College (LAC) has received a gift of $2,500 to help purchase IT equipment and support that will enable the school to offer its classes to more seniors online as a way to help tackle the senior isolation challenge.

The donation was made by Martin’s Point, which also gave a $5,000 donation to the University of Southern Maine to address student food insecurity. The gift has enabled USM to open a new food pantry location on its Gorham campus, where students can pre-order online and pick up their food and supplies in person.

Students who wish to pick up food and supplies at the Lower Brooks Food Pantry in Gorham need to pre-order online by Monday for same-week pick-up on Friday from 2 to 6 p.m. The Portland Campus Food Pantry, which will be moving to a new location at 102 Bedford St., is open for both pre-order pick-up and in-person shopping on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

For more information on the USM Campus Food Pantry, email campusfoodpantry@maine.edu or visit the USM Food Pantry website, usm.maine.edu/foodpantry.