Twins Allai and Connor Regan know what it feels like when a community pitches in to help a family in need, and that's why they wanted to be part of Friday's hurricane relief effort at Echo Lake Church of Christ in Westfield. "Our father died in 9/11 and the community gave so much to us," Allai said. "It felt good to help out (today) when they helped us out so much." Echo Lake Church of Christ served as a host site Friday morning for the Churches of Christ Disaster Relief Effort, Inc. The Nashville-based organization sent a truckload of supplies — from food staples to bedding and cleaning …

The lights may have been out for three days inside Gersch Orthodontics in Westfield, but Drs. Stanley and Scott Gersch didn't let post-Irene complications interrupt the best day of a teenager's life — the day they get their braces off. For three days after the Hurricane blew through town, patients and neighbors could hear the loud chugging of a generator outside the practice, powering enough computers and house lamps to keep the business humming. Dr. Scott Gersch said his office is powered by the Cranford substation, which sustained significant damage during the storm and left thousands of …

We're excited to announce the inauguration of our new series: "Dispatches: The Changing American Dream." Every day, the national media is full of stories about how American families, businesses, and neighbors are adjusting to these trying times. There are so many changes happening so fast that it's dizzying: national debates about unemployment, foreclosures, debt, religion, government and private enterprise all touch on fundamental ways in which we see ourselves and our communities. At Patch, we want to explore that conversation consistently so we can better understand how our neighbors are …

Traffic along Westfield Avenue and Lawrence Avenue slowed regularly over the weekend as drivers stopped for some lemonade, brownies, cookies and cake. Two pairs of siblings have formed lemonade stands with the purpose of raising funds to help the residents of the apartments above Ferraro's. The residents, who include a young child, were displaced after heavy smoke from the six-alarm blaze on May 5 destroyed the apartments and the contents of the units. Sarah and Hayley Kasko and Jason and Kaila Starita have launched lemonade stands in order to help the victims. Both stands operated throughout…