Community Organizations

A town of twelve thousand people supports a working newsroom, a cable station that films its own government, a fair that has run since the 1880s, a monastery, a library and a food pantry. Every one of them takes volunteers, and several of them will take a sixteen year old.

Community Organizations

Organization	What they do & contact
Richard Sugden Library	The town’s public library at 8 Pleasant Street, given to Spencer in 1888 and still carrying its donor’s name. Beyond books it lends hotspots and museum passes, offers meeting and study rooms, and keeps a local history and genealogy collection about Spencer. (508) 885-7513.
Spencer Fair	In its own words, an old time traditional country fair, with ox and horse pulls, cattle, rabbit and poultry shows, hall exhibits and a midway. Run by the Spencer Agricultural Society on Labor Day weekend at 48 Smithville Road. (508) 885-5814.
Saint Joseph’s Abbey	In its own words, a Trappist monastery in Spencer known as a center of prayer and monastic work. The community runs retreats, the Holy Rood Guild and Trappist Preserves, and has been in Spencer since 1950.
MQR Food Pantry	An all volunteer food pantry run as a ministry of Mary, Queen of the Rosary Parish at 46 Maple Street. Open every Thursday, serving clients from 10:00 am to noon. 508-885-3111.
Spencer-East Brookfield SEPAC	The Special Education Parent Advisory Council. In its own words, a collaborative group of parents and guardians, required of every Massachusetts school district, that works to enhance the educational experience of exceptional children.
Spencer Historical Society	A private non-profit whose volunteer local historian answers genealogy and Spencer local history questions through the Richard Sugden Library, where the society’s museum collection is held. Reach it through the library’s local history desk at (508) 885-7513.

Who to Call

An emergency in progress: 9-1-1. Both the police and fire pages say so in those words.
Police, not an emergency: (508) 885-6333, at 9 West Main Street, with the lobby open 24 hours a day.
Fire and ambulance, not an emergency: 508-885-3555 or 508-885-7533, at 11 West Main Street. Spencer’s ambulance is now run by the Fire Department, after the independent Spencer Rescue and Emergency Squad, which had provided the service since 1959, transitioned to a town department in 2026.
Hospital: Spencer’s ambulances transport to one of four hospitals depending on the condition. The closest large one is UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester.
Anything else at Town Hall: (508) 885-7500, 157 Main Street.

Local News & Local Cameras

This matters more than it sounds. Almost everything on this site that is not a state number came out of a meeting agenda, a set of minutes, or a certified results sheet. Somebody has to be in the room and write it down, and in Spencer three organizations do that.

Outlet	Notes
The Spencer Journal	A non-profit news site covering Spencer, with sections for news, education, School Committee coverage and opinion. It runs datelined stories on Board of Selectmen votes.
Spencer New Leader	A weekly newspaper published on Fridays by Stonebridge Press, free by request to residents of Spencer, Leicester and the Brookfields. Every issue is posted to the archive as a full PDF.
Spencer Cable Access	The local public access station, operating independently of the town as a private non-profit with its own board since 1999. It streams town meetings live, posts them on demand, and trains residents who want to produce their own show.

Town Services

Service	Notes
Spencer Senior Center	Programs, meals and outreach for older residents at 68 Maple Street. Director April Caruso. 508-885-7546.
Parks & Recreation	The town’s parks, fields and recreation programs, run by an elected Parks and Recreation Commission. 508-885-7500 Ext. 185.
Charitable Needs Committee	A town committee that administers Spencer’s charitable funds for residents in need. 508-885-9693.

For current hours and a fuller list, see the town’s department directory at spencerma.gov.

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