I published a story to introduce this new system, here on this web site, back on May 3rd, entitled, "Got Trash?"  Also, Maynard’s other online news source, The Maynard Voice, ran a story, back on May 15th.  I’m told they will have a follow up story in their next edition, due out on June 15th.

The following Question and Answer series, here below, picks up where I left off in my first article.  I’m planning two more stories on this topic, one with more of a history, overview, and long term view, and the other a more practical one on how to reduce how much trash we generate.  It may seem that we’re all victims of rising costs, but I think there is a lot we can do to help prevent the next “sticker shock.”

Question:  Why is it suddenly so much more expensive?
Answer:  Maynard began the sticker program in 1996.  It was $1.00 per single bag or $2.00 for a barrel full.  Stickers remained at that price until 2022. That’s 25 years without a price increase!  During that time, just with normal inflation, that $2.00 sticker should have increased to $3.65.

Question:  So if costs went up faster than sticker prices, how’d the town pay for it all?
Answer:  The town had to take funds out of the “general fund,” which is government-speak for property taxes, state aid and other miscellaneous funds.  Property taxes are limited by a state law known as “Proposition 2½.”​ That means less is left over for other town needs. This also meant that even people who had private contractors take their trash were paying a portion of their property taxes to help cover everybody else’s trash collection.  And yet, if they put their recycling out for the town to pick up, that cost the town to provide that service (see recycling question, below).  Also, throughout the years, voters in Maynard have established a tradition of paying separately for various services, rather than just take it all out of property taxes.

Question:  What about recycling?  Don’t we earn some income from our recyclables?
Answer:  Unfortunately, not anymore.  The cost of running the program exceeds the value of recyclables that we can sell in the open market. For years, most of the recycled materials in the U.S. (after being sorted out into separate categories) were typically shipped to other countries to be manufactured into new products.  But in 2018, the global market changed dramatically, when many of those countries stopped taking them, so we had to resort to industries here in the U.S., which were not prepared to take the load.  So, although it may seem “free” to put recycling on the curb, the remaining cost of the program had to be subsidized by general tax revenue and sticker fees.

Question:  So does that mean that recycling is not worth it?
Answer:  No, recycling is definitely worth it.  First, the value of recycled materials is likely to rebound over time, especially as raw materials continue to get more expensive in today’s world markets.
Second, the regular trash disposal system is not designed to handle these materials anymore, so the costs of disposing of our trash would skyrocket if we didn’t keep recycling.  But even more importantly, recycling helps reduce our destruction of the natural environment, both from mining new materials, and from burning or dumping our waste.  For all these reasons, putting recyclable items into the trash is a bad idea and is actually now forbidden by state law.  

Question:  If I generate only a small amount of trash, perhaps only one bag per month, why do I now have to pay as much as the people who have a lot more?  That doesn’t seem fair!
Answer:  I agree, it’s not fair.  Unfortunately, the town was stuck in a very difficult position.  When we asked for bids from various trash and recycling companies, only one company, E. L. Harvey, qualified.  The others were too far away to serve Maynard, for one thing.  If we tried to add yet another option, such as once per month, that would reduce revenue for the program, but the overall cost to the town would not be reduced.  The basic problem is, even if they don’t pick up at every address, the trucks still have to drive up and down all the streets in town, every week, to reach the carts that are put out on the curb.  Just having the biweekly option is a stretch.  It’s almost a “gift” to residents, as the cost of collecting is much the same for all, regardless of which option is chosen.
​Note:  See more about this in the Background section, below.

Question: With this flat fee, what’s the incentive for anyone to reduce their amount of trash?
​Answer:  There isn’t a direct financial incentive per household.  But there is definitely a financial incentive for us all!  That’s because if we all work together to reduce the amount of trash we create, that will lower the overall cost to the town and keep rates from rising even faster in the future.  You see, the town pays a certain amount for each ton of trash collected that has to be dumped at the incinerator plant.  The fewer tons, the lower the cost to us.
With the passage of Article 26 at the annual town meeting last month, all revenue and expenses for trash and recycling are now recorded in a separate account, known as an “Enterprise Fund.”  That means that the program no longer depends on funds mingled with the other town budgets.  So if we can manage our costs, that helps reduce rate increases in the future.

Question:  But doesn’t the trash to energy plant earn money from the electricity it generates?
Answer:  Yes, it does.  But the income from electricity generation is still less than the cost of running the plant overall.  Every town that delivers their trash there has to pay per ton of trash they deliver there, to cover the difference.

Question:  Well, at least that gets rid of the trash, right?
Answer:  Well, no. Not everything in our trash burns.  For every 100 tons of trash burned, there can be as much as 30 tons of unburned material that comes out the other end of the plant.  People throw away all kinds of things that don’t burn, including clay cat litter, broken coffee cups, old toilet bowls, and many other items.  And, because not everyone takes their toxic waste to special collections, some toxic stuff ends up in there as well.  (See: https://energyjustice.net/incineration/ash/)
All this “Bottom ash” (as they call it) still has some of this toxic stuff mixed in. Elements such as arsenic, cadmium, or lead, for example, don't burn up in the furnace.

And Maynard’s program guarantees the same rate for a whole year.  I’d be very careful to examine any contract to see how often the company can change rates, whether they provide the carts you’d use (as Maynard will do) or you have to buy or rent them, etc. ​

Question: What can we do about all this before it gets worse?
Answer:  There are a number of things we can do.  One way is to separate all our food waste from everything else and compost it instead. Food waste has a high water content, so it takes more energy to burn it in the furnace.  And it also weighs a lot, so every ton of it that we don’t compost and send to be incinerated instead costs us.

Regarding the folks who currently only put out one bag of trash per month, the town’s Solid Waste and Recycling coordinator sent me this statement, to provide more detail and perspective:
"At this point in time, unfortunately, offering a monthly trash collection choice is not financially sustainable. Our Town gets billed for trash collection at every household each week, even when a household is on a bi-weekly choice plan, for example. Every municipal hauler bills that way, because their drivers have to go down each street anyways, so they are not saving on fuel costs, etc. It is also difficult to find municipal haulers who offer a monthly collection option, as it makes scheduling their drivers extremely difficult, and is not a break-even part of their business models.
​The good news is that Maynard is considered a trail blazer on this front! We are among the first municipalities in MA to offer a bi-weekly trash collection option.
When calling or emailing private haulers, our Solid Waste Management Coordinator was able to find one private (not municipal) hauler who was offering to collect garbage on a monthly basis for approximately $40/month. For that reason, enrolling in the Town’s bi-weekly trash/recycling/yard waste choice may be the most cost-effective option for you, since it costs $15/month. If you choose that, please remember that billing will occur AFTER the first three months of service and will appear as a third line on your quarterly water/sewer bill. Since billing is for three months, the charge on that trash/recycling utility line will appear $45 (3 months x $15/month)."

I don’t have much to say, here, as much of my Q and A, above is already partly my commentary, of sorts.  Over time, in order to improve this situation, we will have to find ways to make significant changes to our high consumption economy, in order to reduce waste overall.
As for me, even when I was relatively young, seeing something like clothes thrown into in a wastebasket just seemed strange to me.  In my family, we always used such things for rags or to cut and sew up into something else.  And just the idea of incinerating food definitely felt wrong to me.  Food waste belongs in the ground where the nutrients can help grow new plants.  This was not just a logical reaction for me, but a visceral one.  It’s as if I could imagine the living things in the soil just yearning to receive the food matter when we were done with it.  For us, food with rot or mold is repulsive, and naturally so.  But to the microbes and insects in the soil, it’s “yum.”
​Even these days, I save all the metal waste that I can (beyond the food and beverage cans that our recycling system can take) and then, when I have enough, I call a man who shows up in his truck and takes it all to the scrap metal yards down in Chelsea.  It just seems right and good to do that.
During World War II, people pitched in and collected all kinds of materials to be reused.  In today’s world, the need is just as critical, even though it’s for an even bigger cause, the preservation and health of the natural world on this planet.  That’s harder to conceive of in practical terms, when compared to saving metal items for a war effort, for example, but I’m fully behind such efforts.
Lastly, I want to take this opportunity to thank the all the volunteers and town employees who have put in literally hundreds of hours of work, extending well over two years, to work diligently to solve Maynard’s trash and recycling problems.  I also want to thank the folks at The Maynard Voice for joining in to help everyone understand the importance of what we’re doing.

End Notes:
• For more about landfill closures, see: https://thebostonweekly.com/massachusetts-faces-growing-recycling-and-waste-management-challenges/
• Technically, what we call “Proposition 2 1/2” is called an “initiative petition” in Massachusetts, but the name was borrowed from a similar vote in California, known as “Proposition 13,” which was big news at the time.See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1980_Massachusetts_Proposition_2½
Also see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1978_California_Proposition_13
• Our trash is taken to the plant known as “WIN Millbury.” See:  https://www.mass.gov/guides/municipal-waste-combustors#-material-separation-plans-

Maynard, MA - In a few days, Maynard’s town government will hold its annual Town Meeting.  But before we get into the details, let’s have a little fun with the public perception of meetings.

If you are new to town or are unfamiliar with Town Meetings, you might want to read my (unofficial) introduction on the Perspectives page on this web site.  You can download it as a PDF document, or click on the link I have there and read it as regular text on a separate web page.
Also, pages 2, 3, and 4 of the warrant booklet give some additional information along with a list of other terms (aka, a Glossary), and their meanings.
If you didn't receive a Warrant booklet in the mail (tucked into the previous edition of the Action Unlimited ad flyer), you can obtain a copy at the Town Building, at 195 Main Street.
To better understand the concept of "Free Cash," my news story "The Finance Committee, If You Dare” from back in 2023 has a diagram and explanation, if you scroll down a little.  No, it’s not actually free money, it’s money left over from prior years that wasn’t spent, for one reason or another.  The “free” part means that it’s no longer devoted to (or freed up from) the purpose for which it was originally budgeted.

Of the 32 articles to be considered, a number of them are either routine or otherwise likely to be voted on quickly.  Of course some will require time to understand, discuss, and vote, but from what I can tell, everything you need is either in the warrant booklet, will be in the reports from the finance and other committees, or will displayed on the large screen at the front of the room.

Article 7. The Budget
This is where the bulk of the funding for the town for the next fiscal year. The comments say "See Attachment Appendix 'A'" but I believe it should refer to Appendix B instead.
In that Appendix, it details where the money comes from (not all of it is property tax), as well as a detailed breakdown by each account where it is to be spent. Most of this is actually not that earth shaking.  Most increases are small and related to adjustments for inflation from one year to the next.

Article 25. Regulation of Outdoor Lighting
It is important to note that this article regulates only new and replacement outdoor light fixtures.  Residents will not be required to remove or replace any pre existing fixtures on their property or buildings.  However, light pollution is one of those things we seldom think about, even though the impact of light spread sideways (Glare) or upward into the sky (Uplight) can have important consequences, as detailed in the article's description.  Yes, this article covers 9 pages in the warrant booklet, but that's because it includes all the language in the proposed bylaw, along with some background on the sources of light pollution and why it can cause trouble. 

Article 26. Solid Waste and Recycling Enterprise Fund Budget
The vote on this article specifies the income and expenses for the Enterprise fund created back in October of 2024, for the collection and disposal of trash (aka solid waste) and recycling.
It's important to note that this is not a vote on the replacement of the existing trash bag sticker payment system with a new automated truck collection system, funded by direct billing.
Yes, this new system comes with some controversy (See my recent news story "Got Trash?" for details.). However, I hope that voters refrain from taking up too much time at the Town Meeting to debate the merits of the new system!
My point is, the cost of collecting and processing our trash and recycling has increased dramatically in recent years and much of this is not within the town's control.  The price of stickers hasn’t increased for a few years by now, so the increase in costs the town must pay have had to come out of property tax revenue instead.
If we didn't go to a new billing system (which is now being implemented), the price of stickers would have to rise substantially to keep up with these costs. Even worse, the town would risk losing the one contract we have (with E. L. Harvey) and end up with no program at all.  If every household had to contract with a separate trash company, the cost would be substantially higher, there would be more chaos with various trucks coming and going, and the wear and tear on our streets would be worse than it now is.
The overall issue is, we have to pay for these costs somehow.  If we continue to subsidize the fees for trash collection with property taxes, that cuts into other budgets.  If we pay for it in the form of fees instead, we get to keep our property tax revenue for the other purposes that we need.
In a sense, trash and recycling collection is a "utility" just as water, sewer, electric power, or data service are utilities.  As far as I have been able to tell, from my research on this issue, the town has done what it can to keep these costs down to a minimum and keep the budgets balanced.
NOTE:  I plan to publish a separate news commentary piece about why trash and recycling are such an issue these days.  I'll send out links when it is ready.

Article 30.  Zoning Change, 141 Parker Street
One of the most frustrating things I have frequently experienced in town meetings is a Zoning article that gives an address, but I have no idea where that actually is!  Apparently many other people don’t know either, judging by how many questions they frequently ask.
I’m a very visual person.  I want to see and get my bearings.  Although the “slide deck” that will be presented at the meeting includes some photographs and a simple boundary line map of the property (aka the “parcel”) in question, I’m including some additional photographs and maps here. Hopefully, this will save time, since once people understand the situation better, they’ll be more likely be ready to vote.

That's the extent of my comments for this one.  I plan to be at the meeting Monday night, so perhaps I’ll see you there!

Please consider making a modest donation to support my work.  My only financial support for this effort is from you, my readers.  I run no advertising and everything on this site is free to read.

When my shift was over, I went upstairs to warm up a little and talk with some of the people who had come up to visit.  By the time I realized what time it was, I had missed the fashion show at Secondhand News; the carpet had been removed and the clothing racks were back in their normal places.

Then, from outside, I heard music.  Someone said there was a flashmob dance going on.  So I went out to see.  Up until this time, I had not planned to step into my role as reporter.  But as soon as I saw what was going on, I took out my video camera (my iPhone) and began recording a bit of it.  When it ended, I hung around chatting with some of the people there before heading home.

Last night, I took a look at what I had recorded and decided to edit it a little bit. I had so much fun watching it when I was done, I lost track of time and didn’t get to sleep until well after midnight.

​So, here it is.  It’s just over 2 minutes long.  It’s nice to reflect on the fact that, with everything going on in life these days, we can still dance!

I hope to see you at next year’s Spring ArtWalk!  Meanwhile, the Business Alliance hosts other events in Maynard throughout the year, along with a whole host of other organizations.  Check out the Discover Maynard web site for more.

Please consider making a modest donation to support my work.  My only financial support for this effort is from you, my readers.  I run no advertising and everything on this site is free to read.

NOTE:  This story has been revised at 9:15 AM on Tuesday morning 5 May 2026.  A link to information on write in candidates has been added in the main news section.

Update:  The crew at The Maynard Voice has just published statements from Write-In candidates for some of the open slots on the ballot.  Their story is available here:
https://maynardvoice.com/maynards-annual-town-election-is-tuesday-heres-whats-on-your-ballot/

Tip for write-in voting:  I’d recommend printing out or copying down the exact spelling of the name of the candidate and their address, along with the name of the office for which they are running, then keep it in your back pocket of purse when you go to vote.
​Election laws specify that you cannot openly display any information about a candidate or ballot question to anyone else in the polling place (or within 150 feet of the polling place), but once you are in the privacy of the voting booth, it is permissible to refer to any notes you have brought with you.  Make sure to use the marker to fill in the oval to the right of the person you are writing in.  Otherwise, your vote will be ignored by the system.  Make sure to take your private notes away with you and keep them hidden until you submit your ballot and leave.

Once the election is over, preliminary results will be published on the town’s web site soon after the polls close, on Tuesday evening.  Those numbers come from the automatic counts provided by each ballot box scanner, but they only list candidates who appeared on the ballot.  Write in votes must be hand counted, so those results won’t be available until the following day.  Official results for all vote totals have to wait until a thorough review of the results is done to insure accuracy.

If the existence of this election escaped you, I’m not surprised.  Even though I try to keep track of these things, missed it myself, until a few days ago.
After all, no one has mailed out campaign cards asking for your vote.  There have been no press releases or other news.  The Warrant booklet for Town Meeting does not mention the election (the town’s charter only requires that election notices be posted in certain public places around town and on the web site, but not mailed out). As a result, turn out is expected to be extremely low.

So, why the lack of publicity?  A look at the sample ballot (see link above) should give you some idea.  Of the five boards and committees shown, not one of the seats is contested!  Beyond that, only one candidate is running for School Committee even though two seats are open.  And there are no candidates at all for Library Trustee, or for either of the two Housing Authority seats (one for a four year term, the other for five). When I contacted the Town Clerk, she told me that there are a few write-in campaigns going on, but I have not had time to research who is running for which seat (However, see Update, above).
Some voters may want to show their approval for the incumbent candidates by voting for them, even if they’re bound to be re-elected anyway.

This kind of situation has become more and more common over the past few decades.
On the state and national level, we often hear the accusation that someone, or some political party is "a threat to democracy."   Most of that centers around redistricting (“Gerrymandering”) and voter suppression (limiting access to the polls).  But here in town, we have a different issue to face: Insufficient candidates to fill the positions open.
Each local election in Maynard costs close to $6,500 to run (state and national ones cost a few thousand dollars more).  So, why not just cancel elections where no candidates face opposition and save the money?  Even if we wanted to, state law and the town charter require that we hold an election for local offices each Spring. And it’s possible that some of those empty seats will be filled with write-in candidates.  Although one might ask, is it still democracy if just a handful of people write in a name that “wins’ the seat, without the rest of the voting public aware of who will be serving until the election is already over?  Interesting question.

I found a news story from a small town in New Hampshire, just published this April.  Here is the link: https://ledgertranscript.com/2026/04/13/volunteer-crisis-small-towns/
It’s clear from this story that this phenomenon is quite widespread throughout New England.  Maynard is certainly not the only town. The author of the article suggests that once one gets familiar with how the meetings work and what the issues are, serving on a board or committee may not be quite as daunting as it may first appear.  Nice idea, but I suspect that not many people have the time or energy to even give it a try.  Today’s town governments have become increasingly complex and face more and more challenging issues to resolve, given the uncertainty of the economy along with rapidly changing technology.
​A time of shrinking budgets may also deter people from volunteering these days.  When there is an increase in revenues, people are happy to jump in with ideas on how to spend the newly found money.  But when costs keep going up, while revenues are capped, we’re left with difficult decisions to make that no one is really happy about.

If there were any easy answers to all this, we’d have changed things by now.   Meanwhile, the trend seems to be continuing.  A few years ago, I wrote an essay entitled “Low Voter Turnout.”  You can read or download a copy on my Perspectives page.  Most of the factors I mentioned cannot be easily reversed. 
What we may need is some new “way outside the box” thinking.  Perhaps some functions provided by local government will have to be spun off to be handled by community groups instead.  There may be other ideas.  I’m interested in what you think.  Feel free to submit something in the comments, below.

There are a lot of details to this new program, so I plan to cover more of them in subsequent postings.  I’m using a Question & Answer format, below, to try to answer the most pressing questions.

Question 1:  When will all this happen?
​Answer 1:  Theoretically, after July 1st, although there are some last minute details to be worked out.  So residents still have time (about two months) to get familiar with the program.

Question 2:  Why the sudden flood of information from the town?  We’ve received:
• an e-mail message,
• a phone call with a recorded message,
• and a text message,
​… all saying pretty much the same thing, and all in the last few days!

Question 3:  If I want to get better prepared to vote at Town Meeting, what can I do?
Answer 3A:  There are a number of ways.  First, Town officials are holding three “informational sessions in the next few days.  This schedule is from an e-mail message sent out by the Town Administrator.

• Saturday, May 2: 11 a.m. - noon at the Maynard Public Library, Roosevelt Room
• Sunday, May 3: 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. at the Grill and Gather, Maynard Rod & Gun Club, 45 Old Mill Road. This will be a casual chance to ask your individual questions while attending this wonderful free picnic and event sponsored by Maynard’s Public Safety and Health Departments. 
• Tuesday, May 5: 12 - 12:45 p.m. at the Council on Aging (Maynard Golf Course – 50 Brown St.)

Additional sessions will be advertised over the upcoming weeks.
​Note:  Although these sessions are being scheduled before town meeting, they are open to all residents, even those who may not be able to attend town meeting.
Answer 3B:  If you did not receive a copy of the Warrant booklet, or you wish to download a copy in PDF form, in order to read and search it on a device, it’s available on the Town’s Web site: https://www.townofmaynard-ma.gov/DocumentCenter/View/4278/Annual-Town-Meeting-Warrant-May-18-2026

Answer 3C:  Anyone wishing to understand the financial issues pertaining to warrant article 26 more deeply can log into the Finance Committee Meeting on May 11th, starting at 7:05 PM.  The meeting is held virtually, over Zoom.  The page describing how to log in is:  https://www.townofmaynard-ma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_05112026-2091
Note that the Finance Committee is likely to discuss other articles in the Warrant that pertain to finances, so patience may be required as they work their way down to Article 26.  However, this is not to say that the discussions on the other articles are not valuable!  Finance Committee (Fin Comm) meetings can help voters gain some background on the issues to be voted on, before they arrive at Town Meeting.

Question 4:  If no one has to buy stickers anymore, how will we pay for trash pickup in the future?
Answer 4:  The town plans to have each household register for the new program and select options. The web site is already up, at this link:  https://www.townofmaynard-ma.gov/FormCenter/Public-Works-5/Registration-Form-for-Solid-Waste-Recycl-67

Question 5:  What if I live in an apartment or a condominium complex?
Answer 5:  Apartments:  For small buildings, up to 4 units, where residents put their trash out on the curb for collection, they can register just as single family households can.  For apartments in larger buildings, residents will continue to have their trash and recycling handled as specified by their landlord.  ​
Condo Owners:  Since the layout of many condominium communities are not conducive to automated curbside collection, each condominium association or governing board is encouraged to reach out to the Department of Public Works at [email protected] to jointly discuss and agree upon options for their residents.

Question 6:  Why is the town doing this?
Answer 6:  The costs for disposal of trash and recycling are increasing faster than the rate of inflation for most towns in Massachusetts.  There are few landfills and only a handful of trash incinerators left for trash disposal in the entire state! 
Recycling depends on the value of recyclable materials.  That determines how much income can be obtained from selling them on the open market.  By this point in time, markets are such that the money earned from the sale of the materials barely covers (or even fails to cover) the cost of having the trucks come around to pick up the recycling, take it to recycling centers, and have it all sorted out into separate streams (paper, plastic, glass, metal, etc.).

Meanwhile, the town will have a more predictable stream of income to pay for all this, when compared to the current sticker program. ​

Although this may seem quite sudden, the system now being implemented is the result of work that began over two years ago.  The problems with the sticker system were already well known but what to do instead was still a big question.  As with many aspects of town government, costs were rising faster than revenue, which must come from property taxes, state aid, and fees.  There was a sense of urgency to develop solutions that would keep our budget balanced and still have all the trash and recycling collected.
A number of volunteers, working with town officials as part of the "Solid Waste and Recycling Task Force," put in hundreds of hours to research the problem, survey the public, and come up with proposals on how to go forward. They submitted their final report, including their recommendations, to the Select Board back in February of 2025.
In order to implement the program, the Public Works departmen had to hire a part time staffer to manage the details.  This required posting the position, interviewing candidates, and hiring the employee, all of which took most of 2025. In December of 2025, Linde Ghere was hired for the position.
As soon as she was on board, she had to put out requests for proposals to the various trash and recycling companies that operate in Massachusetts, then wait for bids to come in.  After evaluating the bids, only one company, E. L. Harvey remained willing to fulfill the requirements.
At various times, information on this entire process was posted on the town’s web site, but typically, most residents in town didn’t have the time to delve into the details in various meeting minutes, reports, etc.  Until the Summer of 2025, when The Maynard Voice started up, I was the only consistent reporter of news in town, and I was only able to post information on this process occasionally. For more on why Maynard no longer has a local newspaper, please see my PDF essay “No News? ...” on the Perspectives page, here on this web site.

There are a number of sources of information that you can take advantage of, in addition to what I already mentioned above.
The Maynard Voice ran a story back in mid April, then posted an update on April 30th.  You can read that here:  ​https://maynardvoice.com/maynards-trash-and-recycling-program-is-changing-heres-what-you-need-to-know/

The town’s web site has a page dedicated to Solid Waste and Recycling, here:  https://www.townofmaynard-ma.gov/252/Solid-Waste-Recycling
There are a number of Frequently Asked Questions listed if you scroll down.  I expect that list will expand as more people contact the town with questions.

The best way to save on waste disposal costs is obviously to create less waste.  But that’s not as easy as it might sound.  Many things we buy and use come in containers or packaging that is not reusable.  We are at the mercy of the providers of those goods.  It’s a take it or leave it proposition.
Although the town’s plan is to charge for trash removal by volume (what fits in a cart), the “tipping cost” the town must pay to have that trash incinerated is based on weight.
In general, in most homes, food waste contributes a significant amount to the weight of trash discarded.
So, what about composting?  Composting is superior to incineration, by far.  It returns the nutrients in food waste to the soil, instead of having it burned, where the remaining ash ends up in a landfill.  There are three main ways to proceed with composting.  Using a back yard composter, taking compost to a town drop off facility, or having it picked up curbside (by placing it in a small green cart).
However, there are issues:
• The town has composting bins available for sale on the Composting web page:  https://www.townofmaynard-ma.gov/247/Composting
These bins are intended to be set outdoors, on the ground, in a back or side yard.  That page has extensive information about how to set up and use them.  Of course, they only have a certain capacity, so families that have more than the minimal food waste may end up filling their bin before the material within can complete the decomposition process. Although the town’s composting web page doesn’t specifically mention this, food waste from animal sources, such as meat, bones, dairy products, or eggs cannot be composted in them without drawing local wildlife, which can overturn or damage the composter unit in order to munch on the contents.  Also, such composters require some knowledge to use them, or the contents may not decompose properly.
• The town is planning to implement a compost drop off facility as part of the new system, but some families may be reluctant to deal with using the family car to transport the compost there.  At least animal based food waste (meat, bones, eggs, dairy products) can be accommodated.
• Curbside pickup adds too much to the cost of the program to be implemented by the town right now.  Maynard hopes to be able to provide this service, as some other towns do, but there is no specific schedule set for that to be implemented.  Meanwhile, residents who want their compost picked up curbside, must pay for the service themselves.  At our house, we are fortunate enough to have the financial resources to pay Black Earth for this service, and I recommend it, but it’s been slow to catch on.  We have the weekly plan, which is $180 per year.  You can enter “Maynard” in the box on their web site to see the other options.  Here’s the link to find out more:  ​https://www.blackearthcompost.com/home-pickup

I have a lot more to say in the way of commentary, but as it is already 2:30 AM as I am writing this, I will have to explain more at another time.

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Maynard, MA - Residents of the town have had to make some adjustments recently, as current weather conditions have been unusually severe.

More important to all of us is the Town's offer of a warming center, open to anyone who needs to get warm, perhaps because of a heating system or electric power failure at their home.

After the storm passes, temperatures are forecast to remain extremely cold, even for this time of year.  I have received word from the Town's Planning Director, Bill Nemser, with advice for residents to help manage the economic impact of the weather. 

The MAPC web page, https://www.mapc.org/resource-library/winter-price-spike-communications/ is written for an audience of local officials, but if residents scroll down a bit, there is a list of options which can be expanded to see details on topics such as:
• Support for paying utility bills
• Utility Customer Advocacy Resources (from the state's Attorney General's office)
• Tips for reducing Utility Costs
• Municipal Aggregation (electricity at bulk rates, arranged by the town).
(On that last one, see my previous story "Power to the Households" for a description)

I want to emphasize that I do not say these things to implicate any particular public official, political party, or utility comany as the primary cause.  I firmly believe that all this is due to many complex factors that have been building for decades by now.  It's easy to point the finger of blame on one another, but I believe that it's a significant challenge for anyone to dig deeply enough into our governmental and economic systems to understand more than just a tiny part of the causes.  My approach has been to avoid blaming anyone, no matter how tempting, and instead seek ways to collaborate and resolve some of our differences so that we can move forward to make changes that will benefit everyone, and yet not continue to destroy planetary resources in the process.

Oh, and one more minor side note.
You may have noticed that I use the term "medical insurance" rather than "health insurance."  That's because the insurance we buy is actually "medical indemnity" insurance.  That means that it can only "indemnify," or protect us, from the cost of medical services and medications.
It cannot, and will never, be able to actually insure that you have good health!  Health is the responsibility of each of us to maintain good care for ourselves, seek medical care as appropriate, and, at the same time, work to reduce factors in the environment that threaten to sicken or kill us.

I personally have enough money in my informal fund to buy breakfast for six or seven people. But if other donors contribute, we can feed more.  This is all based on trust; there's no need to bring an EBT card.

Back in late October, I started researching a story about the upcoming potential loss of SNAP benefits.  I postponed publishing that story because the situation kept changing too rapidly to create a cohesive report.  During my research, I began to wonder what alternatives there were besides people in need depending only on food pantries.  What if we could create a place for people to meet and brainstorm about other alternatives?  Perhaps people could come together to help each other directly, without an intermediary, such as the government or other organization.

My initial ideas seemed too complex. I wanted to try something simple right away.*  I decided to try an experiment.  On Saturday, November 8th, around 10 AM, I went to The Boston Bean House restaurant, here in Maynard, with a sign that said “Food Insecurity Network.”  I posted on Facebook that I would buy breakfast for the first five people who showed up with a SNAP EBT card.  At the suggestion of a friend, I changed the sign to read "Security" instead of "Insecurity."
(*See additional remarks at the end of the Commentary section, below)

While standing in line waiting to order my own breakfast, I explained what I planned to do to the next person in line after me.  He thought it was such a good idea that he gave me an additional $20, so that I could pay for another meal, beyond the five I had planned.  After I sat down, later on, one person came in who had been receiving SNAP benefits so I gave him a twenty to buy himself and a family member breakfast.  I told him to keep the change, and he thanked me graciously.  He did not sit with me, but took his items to go in order to share part of what he had purchased with a family member back home.

Part of the reason the turnout was so low was due to my having given such short notice. But I now understand that there might be another reason. A friend of mine who receives SNAP benefits told me that people in the program typically avoid entering restaurants because the cost of a single meal could deplete a significant portion of their monthly food budget.  This may have been a factor, even though I promised to pay for breakfast.

Since doing this twice, I realized that there may be a few reasons why this may prove to be more difficult than I had expected. For people in need, there is likely a “shame” factor, where they are afraid of judgement from others if they come forward.  Our culture has traditionally emphasized self reliance, individual initiative, and toughing it out.  I want to work to change this so that asking for help or expressing vulnerability become more of a symbol of strength and confidence rather than of some kind of failure or lack of effort.

On the side of donors, there may be another issue.  Recently, I read a story about a photographer who visited a town in Appalachia repeatedly over a number of years, to document aspects of the lives of the people living there, now that the coal industry has declined.  The story told of numerous tragedies that the local people had endured, often related to their loss of livelihood.  My emotional reaction was a feeling of sympathy for people in despair, trying to live without housing, going hungry, children who had lost their parents being cared for by other relatives, etc.
I think we all have a limited capacity to listen to troubling stories.  Some of us may have empathy because we ourselves may have experienced similar conditions in the past, and yet bringing back old memories might be painful.  We may also fear that we ourselves could experience similar troubles on short notice and would rather not think about it.

As a result, we may have a tendency to separate ourselves from people in need to avoid facing these memories or fears.  This could be one reason we often depend on intermediaries, such as government programs or food pantries to help others - we can pay our taxes, or write a check, drop off food items, or even volunteer to load bags of groceries into cars, all without directly encountering some of the painful experiences of those in need.

So here I am, trying to put people together anyway!  I'm hoping that we can get to know our neighbors better, despite these hesitations.  The more we learn to help each other directly, then the more likely we may be able to alleviate the conditions that cause such tragic circumstances in the first place.
At the same time, those of us in need may gain the confidence to ask for help without shame. I happen to think our long term survival actually depends on this - the stronger our local community is, and the more we work together, the more resilient we will be in the long run, as we go through these uncertain times.  This leads me to consider the bigger picture.

I strive to focus only on local affairs here on Town Wide Mall.  But this situation is so entangled with shifting national policy, I feel compelled to comment on the bigger picture.
I consider myself a dedicated independent when it comes to political leanings, so I don't blame any one individual or political party for the current situation. Rather, I see our problems due to long term trends much greater than any one person or group.
I also consider myself something of a Universalist in that I try never to hate, vilify, or blame any person. I have learned, long ago, that blame seldom does anyone any good anyway. However, I do have definite opinions about what people actually say or do (how they act), regardless of their apparent motivation. If what they're doing is constructive, then I'm typically all for it.  If what they're doing is harmful or destructive, then I'm opposed.  To me, violence is never a good solution for anything.
So, if you don't want to wade into the bigger issues, then feel free to stop reading here;  I won't be offended.

As I see it, the reliability of big government programs is on the decline so it makes sense to me to start thinking about alternatives now, rather than wait for more potential trouble in the future.  I have studied government for decades by now, both as a participant (elected or appointed on the local level) and as an observer.  What I see is a long term trend of decreasing effectiveness in very large institutions in general, along with mounting debt.  I don't blame any specific person or group or political party for this because this has continued for many years, regardless of who was supposedly in charge.
Instead, I chalk it up to the difficulty in coming to any agreement as to what to do instead.  Finding agreement among 342 million people (the current US population) seems to be a challenge for which no one has come up with a solution.  In a way, people have given up, as the radical changes are likely necessary have seemed just too risky.  Now, radical change is upon us anyway.
Instead, I think decentralization is the way to go from now on.  We are already bringing decisions down to the level of the states, the cities, the towns, and the neighborhoods.  The smaller the group, the more agile it is likely to be, in order to adapt to changing times and conditions.  I urge people to shop locally, invest locally, and support local groups and efforts.  Connect with each other more in person, instead of mostly through social media.

Clearly, with approximately 1 out of every 8 people in the US receiving SNAP benefits (47 million people), that tells us there is a huge problem of economic need.  Although it may seem too difficult to solve all this on a national level, perhaps we can build resilience and generosity on an extremely local level, such as starting with a few people getting together over breakfast to come up with ideas.
Instead of “work requirements” imposed by government policy, perhaps there are ways that a very different kind of “sharing” or “generosity” economy can be developed on an extremely local level.  This might be where people with solid financial resources can collaborate with others of limited means to help each other based on the skills and capabilities that each can bring to the table.
Granted, some folks are not in a position to contribute as much as others, due to disabilities, illnesses, etc., but that’s part of what community means - we are here to look out for each other as best we can.  And fortunes can change. One person with specific needs now may recover to a more solid financial position later on and then be able to “pay it forward” to others.  Other people may find themselves in need unexpectedly, and hope to get help from others.
These kinds of face-to-face meetings to arrange sharing aren't perfect.  But they can go a long way to dispense with difficult and cumbersome bureaucratic requirements and get down to the business of helping each other more directly.
I almost never hear the word "Love" mentioned in government, in politics, or on the news.  Perhaps it's time that we think more about using Love as a principle in working to bring about a better world.

* Although this may seem a bit impulsive, it’s not that unusual for me.  I come from a long line of engineers, inventors, and artists on both sides of my family tree.  I remember one time when my uncle, after an extended family dinner (Thanksgiving, perhaps), went off to his desk in the corner of the living room, and began rapidly scribbling sketches and equations in a notebook. My grandmother said not to bother him, as he clearly just had an inspiration and felt the urge to get it all down on paper right away.  The rest of us sat around talking, as most people would do after a big meal, while he worked away for a while, oblivious to our conversations.  Th rest of the time, he seemed to be a relatively normal, energetic person.  This was in the mid 1960s; the term neurodiversity didn’t exist until the late 1990s.
With respect to heading to the Bean with a sign on such short notice, it's not so much the urgency to capture an idea, but more of my reaction to the rapid fire volley of changes coming at us in today's world.  My thought has been, if something can help people get through all this, then why wait?  If I have the means, then I might as well try something.

Town meetings in the fall are only scheduled if needed, but often there are at least a few issues to be voted on that can’t wait until next year.  For those who missed or didn’t receive the 29 page warrant booklet at home (see illustration here), extra copies will be available at the Town Building (195 Main Street) during normal hours on Monday from 8 AM until 4 PM.  Copies sent to homes were bundled with the Action Unlimited ad flyer a few weeks ago, delivered to most households, but adnittedly not all.  The text is also available to download on the web page set up for the meeting:
https://www.townofmaynard-ma.gov/608/Special-Town-Meeting-October-27-2025

For anyone not familiar with the terms I’m using here, here are three of them:

• Town Meeting - a gathering of registered voters to make specific decisions that cannot be made by government officials alone. 
• Warrant - An agenda and guide for the meeting, listing the individual issues to be voted on.
• Article - An item on that agenda, with a description of the decision to be made, who put it on the agenda, along with some comments from town boards or committees.  There is also a recommended vote from at least one of these boards or committees. 

The first four pages of the warrant booklet provide some explanation of the details on how the meeting is run and definitions of some of the terminology used in the pages that follow.

For more details on the nature of town meetings here in New England, you may want to download and read my unofficial and slightly irreverent article “An Informal Guide to Town Government and Town Meetings in Massachusetts.” It’s listed as "town_government_introduction_1.6," the fifth one down on my “Perspectives” page, here on this web site.

The format and wording of the articles in the warrant booklet are laid out the way they are because they have to conform to various state requirements.  Here is my quick unofficial preview of each of the 12 articles, just to get you started.

1. Housekeeping - to correct an oversight in a list of duties for the Select board.
2. Update to agree with a state law - essentially allow one widow(er) of a retired town employee to receive increased benefits, now permitted by the state.
3. Update to agree with a state law - allow a beer & wine license holder to convert to an “all alcohol” license.  Just one business in Maynard is eligible at this time, according to the comments.
4. Wipe the slate clean of approvals for the town to borrow money that it no longer needs to borrow.
5. Allow some public and school property to be available to permit solar panels to be leased or licensed.
6. Update to agree with a state law - If article 5 passes, allow the town to actually lease or license such solar panels.
7. Take money from PFAS (known as “forever chemicals”) lawsuits already won against polluters and give it to the water department to upgrade treatment equipment.
8. Housekeeping - Zoning - add the Powdermill Overlay District to the existing list of districts. (for what this means, see my article, "Plans in Progress" published in November 2023)
9. Housekeeping - Zoning - delete a parking requirement in one part of the Zoning Bylaw and let parking be governed by a different part.  (The two different requirements conflicted with one another.)
10. Zoning (this one is definitely not housekeeping!) - Make extensive changes to the “Powdermill Overlay District (called “Section 9.7” in the Zoning Bylaw).  (This goes on for over 10 pages of details.  The Comments at the bottom of page 24 say why we’re doing this in three simple sentences.  Planning department officials will explain the reasoning for all this at the meeting).
11. Zoning - specify where large scale electrical battery installations can be located to keep from polluting our water supply in case of an accident.  The state requires us to provide at least one location for this kind of thing. Note:  There is some controversy about battery capacity limits in the wording, so expect some debate about this.
12.  Last one - Take the next step to ban "ANTICOAGULANT RODENTICIDES" (let's just call it rat poison for the moment) in town - In order to ban rat poison boxes town wide (not just on town owned property, as we already voted back in May), we have to ask the state for permission.  The town voters have to ask the Select Board to ask the State legislature (House and Senate) to vote and then turn around and give the town’s voters permission to vote on a Bylaw, down the road.  Got that?

I took the time to write all that stuff, above, because I know it's hard to go through the entire warrant booklet ahead of time, before going to the meeting.  Of course my quick descriptions are just that; brief somewhat irreverent synopses.  But the idea is to read the above before you get to the meeting, so you are ready to vote on the housekeeping ones and get to the more important ones, all before 11:00 PM.
Some of these issues are complicated, at first glance, of course.  But what's really at stake is finding a balance between reasonable government regulation and so-called "overreach."  We want our drinking water to be safe, our land used responsibly, and our rivers and wildlife to be protected, of course.  And yet, we want to allow technology and the needs of the public to move forward with as little trouble as possible.
Thankfully, none of the articles for this meeting involve budget or tax increases, as far as I can tell.  That should help keep the discourse low key and allow voting to proceed more easily. At the same time, that does not reduce the importance of voting on these issues now.
Supposedly, Town Meeting is a "pure" form of democracy because any adult resident who is registered to vote can participate, in theory.  Unfortunately, not everyone is able to attend an in-person evening meeting that can run close to midnight.  Conducting the meeting online, "virtually," is just not practical, nor is it legal, unfortunately.  We do our best, despite the impediments (see my opinion pieces, "no news," and "low voter turnout" on my Perspectives page.)
Given all that, I plan to attend, and I hope to see you there!

It's easy to forget the many hours of work put in by quite a number of people, many of whom are volunteers on boards and committees, who do not get paid anything for their time.  Even for those on staff, in paid positions, preparing for a town meeting is a lot of work.  The articles and motions must be drafted, the language worked out, the legal references checked, the considerations regarding the comments and recommended votes discussed and agreed upon, and lay it all out in individual pages, with charts and tables.  This is followed by the logistics of getting it proofread, printed, and distributed.  Still other folks work to keep the town's web site updated so that reference material and meeting records can be available to the public.
On the night of the meeting, personnel from the Clerk's office must be on hand, along with volunteers, to count and keep records of all the votes.  Students and staff from the schools often volunteer to provide audio and video support when needed.
Doing all this costs money, and must be done the way it is, as required by state law, no matter what a town's population or tax base might be.
So, here is a big "Thank You" to everyone who contributes to keep our local government working.  I appreciate it.

This has been tried in other nearby towns and has been shown to work effectively in most places.  Drivers no longer have to fuss with coins, credit cards, smartphone apps, and so forth. 

Back in July of 2023, I published a story about the dilemma facing drivers in town, called “Money for the Meter?”  The town has an official committee, known as the Parking Authority (See: https://www.townofmaynard-ma.gov/285/Parking-Authority ), but most of the documentation there dates back to 2018. The most recent minutes are from 2023, back around the time I published my story.  At that time, the position of parking officer was vacant, as the previous employee had left.  Without anyone to attend to the meters, they soon filled up with coins and stopped working.

So, what took so long?  Part of the reason has to do priorities facing town government officials.  Old obsolete parking meters had to take a back seat to other more pressing matters, such as road repaving, water system troubles, and trying to balance general town expenses against limited revenue.  Since some meters were labeled “2 hour limit," that had to do in the meantime.
Finally, at the Select Board meeting on Tuesday, August 5th, money was finally appropriated for the change over from meters to signs, as shown in the meeting's minutes (Item 7, section C, on page 4),
https://www.townofmaynard-ma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Minutes/_08052025-1742
On August 15th, The Maynard Voice ran a story about future plans for the Naylor Court area.  At the very end of the story, they mention the pending removal of the parking meters,
https://maynardvoice.com/naylor-court-commons-action-plan-2/

It's amazing how contentious parking issues can be in cities and towns in New England.  Much of the problem stems from the fact that the roads were laid out many years before automobiles became common.  There were some horse drawn carriages and coaches, but the vast majority of people either walked or, starting around 1820, were able to ride on a "street railway," the horse drawn precursor to the trolley car.  Electrically powered trolley cars began to take over from horses in the 1880s, before automobiles became practical.  In that same era, the bicycle also became popular.  Thus, there was no need for vast amounts of parking space.
But as with anything else, the advent of automobile transportation came with both pros and cons. According to a chart online, published by the Federal Highway Administration, in 1900, there were only about 8,000 motor vehicles in the US, but by 1913, there were over 1 million!  By 1950, when I was born, there were over 40 million.  With a population of 150 million people, that amounted to just about 1 car per family.
By the mid 1990s, there were over 128 million motor vehicles.  As the population was over 250 million by then, that meant there was 1 vehicle for every 2 people, or about one car per adult, instead of per family.  With many of the same roads still in place in the older cities and towns, no wonder there is a parking problem!
Although Maynard is classified as a "MBTA Community" by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (state government), that's only because we're next door to the South Action commuter rail station. Otherwise, we have no public transportation in town, or connecting us with neighboring towns.  The only thing even close is the van service operated by the Council on Aging.
However, implementing a public transit system (perhaps a local bus that runs a regular route) would take a significant effort, based on the need for funding in today's tight public economy.
We have become so used to the advantages of owning and driving a car, that it may be difficult to stop for a moment to consider walking or using a bicycle. If the weather is cold or rainy, or we're buying groceries, using a car is likely to seem even more attractive.  But, in spite of these challenges, the more we find ways to leave the car at home and set out into the open air, the better we will alleviate parking congestion, and perhaps benefit from the exercise as well.

Maynard, MA - Residents and visitors to town enjoyed blue skies and warm temperatures for two days of festivals this past weekend.
On Saturday, October 4th, Maynard's annual October street fair, Maynard Fest, was well attended, with booths and tables ranging from community organizations, state and local agencies, political parties, medical professionals, and banks, to food vendors, play areas for children, crafts, and other vendors of a variety of kinds.  This year it was very well attended, with Nason and Main Streets, as well as Memorial Park crowded with people exploring the options and enjoying conversations.
Maynard Fest is organized every year by the Assabet Valley Chamber of Commerce, which is based in Hudson.  Their web site is  https://www.assabetvalleychamber.org  It takes place the first Saturday in October every year.  Members of the Maynard Police Department were on hand to direct traffic around the streets that were closed to vehicles and provide safe passage for pedestrians at the various crosswalks.

I know at least a few people who did not know that Porchfest was taking place this past weekend.  “How does anyone find out about these things?” they asked me.  Even the organizer of Porchfest remarked that it's hard to get the word out.  I've heard the same from others at different times.
The traditional weekly newspaper in Maynard, The Beacon Villager, ceased publication in May of 2022, so that's no longer an option.
Here at Town Wide Mall, I only publish stories occasionally, so I can’t possibly keep up with the many  events and activities that take place every week in town.  The Maynard Voice has just started publishing online every few weeks, so that is another possible source.
Otherwise, how do people planning an event - and people who want to find events - get connected? 
One of the best guides is the Discover Maynard Calendar of Events web page, https://discovermaynard.com/calendar/  The Discover Maynard site is hosted by the Maynard Cultural District and was originally created to help people from outside of Maynard, "discover" our town and all it has to offer.  But by now, with no printed newspaper in town, it has become a central place to connect Maynard residents with events going on.
For those organizing an event, go to that page and click on the words, "SUBMIT EVENT," just below the banner photo.  That gets you to a page with the guidelines and policies, which you should read before proceeding.  Then click on the large blue button, "Fill out the Submission Form" at the left and enter the specifics for the event, then click the "Submit" button at the bottom.

For those who just want to find out what's going on, ignore the "submit event" button and just start scrolling down the list for events taking place on the date shown above.

It may not seem likely, but flyers posted on these boards actually get a lot of attention.  It turns out that many people stop by to look at them because they pass by one of these boards while walking or jogging, etc. as part of their daily routine.

There are two venues that have so many events that you may want to check their web sites directly.  One is the Maynard Fine Arts Theatre, at https://www.maynardfineartstheatre.com which has details on films, show times, ticket prices, etc.  The other is Sanctuary, with their web site, https://www.sanctuarymaynard.com

In addition to those, Maynard Town Government has some events listed on its home page:  https://www.townofmaynard-ma.gov  If you scroll down just a little, below the banner photo and icon strip, the center of the page has a column entitled "Latest News" which has a list of some events.  To the right of that is a calendar grid that has days marked off for meetings and other events.  There is a huge amount of information on this site as a whole, carefully curated by town officials and staff, so it can take awhile to learn where various things are among the many web pages, but there are many good resources.

Maynard Fest has been around for many years, but Maynard Porchfest is a more recent event.  It all sprang from an idea by Elizabeth Barren, who moved to Maynard back in 2017.  At first, she was not aware of Maynard Fest.  However, in October of 2019, she happened to end up on Nason Street around 5 PM, the first Saturday in October.  She observed Sarah, from the Assabet Valley Chamber of Commerce, doing the last bit of cleanup after Maynard Fest had just ended.
When they talked, Elizabeth learned about what Maynard Fest was, and, being a part time musician herself, she realized that Maynard could have a Porchfest, similar to those that take place in other cities and towns nearby.  In more densely populated cities, there are few driveways or lawns to stage performances, so front porches are typically the only outdoor space for performers to use.  Anyway, Sarah supplied her with a number of contacts and information to help her get going.
The following year, she began to plan Maynard's first Porchfest to take place in the spring, around the time of the Artwalk.  She had signs made up and had a schedule of bands and musicians finalized when the pandemic hit.  So it all had to be scrapped.
It wasn't until 2022 that she was able to try again.  Various other people chipped in, helping to print up maps, make lawn signs, review submissions by musicians and bands and determine the schedule.  The result?  The whole thing turned out to be a big success!
Everything is done by volunteers.  Musicians are allowed to put out a "tip jar" to collect a bit of cash, but that's it.  Otherwise everything is free and open to the public.
To learn more, yes, of course there is a website for Maynard Porchfest.  You can do a search for "Maynard Porchfest" to get there, or use the link here:  https://maynardporchfest.wixsite.com/website

I am continually amazed and heartened by how many people volunteer to help make Maynard the great place to live that it is.  In today's world, when there is so much focus on financial affairs, taxes, prices, inflation, and so forth, it's easy to forget how big a role simple generosity plays in everyday life.  There is an amazingly robust "economy" of volunteer labor that makes the world work.  The benefits are enormous, both for those who directly partake of the results of that generosity, as well as those volunteering, who get not only the satisfaction in knowing they're making a difference in the world, but who also often benefit from the social interaction and connections that most volunteer labor entails.
When I see headlines with stories about war or political bickering, it helps me to reflect on how basic decency and willingness to lend a helping hand are truly quite common.
As I wrote in my first essay on Substack, back in July, if there's a flood and rescuers in a boat approach  someone who is stranded to take them to safety, they never ask what political party they belong to or for whom they voted in the last election.  They just say, "We're here to rescue you, climb in."  This is a fundamental part of human nature that, as far as I know, will always be with us:  The willingness to help each other, whether in times of crisis, or just to create a community that is warm and welcoming.