Stevens Memorial Library Wins $20,000 Federal Food Literacy Grant
The Stevens Memorial Library has been provisionally awarded a $20,000 federal Library Services and Technology Act grant through the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners, putting Ashburnham in line for a new round of community food-literacy programs in the coming year.
**TOWN HALL**
Residents should mark their calendars for two overlapping items on Thursday, June 18: Town Hall will be closed in observance of the Juneteenth holiday, and that same evening Winchester Park will host an outdoor concert at 6:30 p.m. sponsored by the Ashburnham Recreation Committee. Any town business that would normally fall on that Thursday should be handled before or after the holiday.
The town also reminded residents this week that the 2025 Annual Water Quality Report — the Consumer Confidence Report for Ashburnham's drinking water — is now available. Residents can access it through the town website at ashburnham-ma.gov. The seasonal odd/even outdoor watering restriction remains in effect through September 30.
**COMMUNITY & ARTS**
Stevens Memorial Library received the provisional $20,000 LSTA grant for a program called "At the Table: Food Literacy from the Ground Up." Library Director Jess Mynes and the library board have designed the initiative to help Ashburnham residents — served by a library that draws from a community of more than 6,000 — build practical lifelong food literacy skills. The grant funds both programming and resources.
Separately, the library has published its FY2026–2029 Strategic Plan, developed after conversations with library stakeholders. The plan outlines updated objectives and strategic directions building on the library's previous planning cycle and centers the Stevens Memorial Library's role as a community anchor.
**ELSEWHERE IN THE NEWS**
No new coverage from Patch, MetroWest Daily News, or The Boston Globe in this cycle.
**COMING UP**
- **Thursday, June 18** — Outdoor concert at Winchester Park, 6:30 p.m., sponsored by the Ashburnham Recreation Committee. Free community event. - **Thursday, June 18** — Town Hall closed for Juneteenth holiday. - **Library Board of Trustees** meets the third Tuesday of each month at 4:00 p.m. at Stevens Memorial Library (next meeting: Tuesday, June 16).