Cultural Pittsfield This Week: June 12-18

11:24AM / Saturday, June 13, 2020Print Story | Email Story

Welcome to Cultural Pittsfield's weekly guide featuring in-person and virtual classes and events, information, and more. If you are a Pittsfield business and would like your event listed, please email us at cultural@pittsfieldch.com. Thank you and be well!

Pittsfield Artists & Residents:

Call for Art

ARTISTS can display visual art (painting, drawing, sculpture, ceramics, photography, fashion, sidewalk art, video, etc.) on their porches, trees, lawns, and driveways, in their open garages, or projected onto their homes.

RESIDENTS who know an artist who lives outside Pittsfield can invite them to display their work. Residents can also display the art they collect.

To participate and get your location on the map, email your Pittsfield address to drivewalkbikeart@gmail.com.

RESOURCES

1Berkshire has compiled a list of online sites where you can find information on a number of topics, including an explanation of our state's reopening plan. You can also visit the City of Pittsfield's COVID-19 webpage for updates and helpful resources.

Plus...

FAMILY FRIENDLY

Registration for Berkshire Museum's new summer Camp at Home is now open! From June 29 to August 21, children entering grades 1 through 6 will have the opportunity to become kitchen scientists, build and test robots, develop code, investigate the scene, and more. Each virtual program comes with a Camp@Home Kit containing all the ingredients, materials, and instructions kids need to complete a full week of fun activities.

Plus...

ONLINE CLASSES & FUN

Berkshire OLLI will present its inaugural Online Distinguished Speaker event on Wednesday, June 17 at 7 p.m. Roberta McCulloch-Dews will discuss The Policing of Black People in Public Spaces. The talk will give the historical framework surrounding the policing of black Americans in the U.S., explore the role of bias, and highlight how legislation can play a major part in addressing discriminatory behavior. The talk is free but pre-registration is required.

Coming Soon: Get your bicycle ready for next week's Ride for Roots Rising fundraiser! From June 20-28, road cyclists and mountain bikers can complete on a beginner, intermediate, or advanced route to raise money for community food access. Prizes will be offered to the top three fundraising teams. All registrants will be entered to win additional prizes that include gift certificates to Berkshire Bike & Board, Arcadian Shop, The Spoke, Guido's, Berkshire Outfitters, and Roots Rising's own farmers market. Mill Town Capital and Berkshire Bike & Board are offering a bike giveaway for Pittsfield youth!

Plus...

SHOP LOCAL

Massachusetts retail stores are now being allowed to reopen, so be sure to check online or by phone to see if your favorite shop is open for business. Hours may have changed and special protocols, like wearing masks, are still in place. Happy shopping!

Plus...

TAKEOUT & DELIVERY

Below are some of the Pittsfield restaurants currently offering takeout, delivery, and/or curbside pickup. Please check their websites for updates. Visit the 1Berkshire website for a list of all current Berkshire County takeout options, including restaurants that now offer outdoor dining options.

iBerkshires.com Text Ads

RIBCO Supply

Check out our great lineup of Boss Plows, and spreaders. 2 Locations Clarksburg & Pittsfield!

ribcosupply.com

Care Closer to Home!

North Adams Regional Hospital is North Berkshire's choice for healthcare services - Your Hospital!

www.berkshirehealthsystems.org

CRUST PIZZA Williamstown

We keep our menu simple and let the dough and other high-quality ingredients speak for themselves

www.crustpz.com

If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Letter: Berkshire Community Action Council Rumors Hurt Fundraising Efforts

Letter to the Editor05:00PM / Friday, November 15, 2024

To the Editor:

Most of you are familiar with BCAC. We are the federally designated anti-poverty agency for Berkshire County, serving nearly 12,000 families each year. We work hard to maintain the trust and respect of the communities we serve.

Overseen by the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities, we are required to comply each year with a rigorous 78 performance standards which govern all aspects of our organization. Proudly, we can boast that we are consistently 100 percent compliant with these standards which range from our community involvement, our transparency in reporting, our administration of programs, our financial accountability and much more. This positions us as one of the best run agencies in the commonwealth. Furthermore, as part of these standards, we are required to survey the community each year to assess satisfaction with our services.

This year, as in years past, we received an overwhelmingly positive response from our community. We just closed our online survey. With 436 individuals responding, 96.7 percent of those surveyed reported that they were either satisfied or very satisfied with the services they received and for how families were treated. We pride ourselves on our accountability using less than 10 percent of our revenues each year to pay for administration.

Given this, we were shocked to hear that there are members of our community who are spreading untruthful accusations about our programs. We pride ourselves on the collaborative way we work with our partners in the community. We have always recognized that we can accomplish more when we work together. We have shared our resources with the community, not looking for recognition but for the sheer satisfaction of knowing that we are able to help close service gaps and serve more families in need of help. So, these rumors are not only hurtful but very damaging to our programming and reputation.

This year, donors have reported that they have heard these damaging rumors, and it is impacting our ability to raise funds to purchase the coats and boots for our Children's Warm Clothing program. I want to assure you that we administer our programs under the highest standards and always with the utmost respect for our families and their well-being. I am asking if anyone is concerned about rumors you have heard, to please contact me directly so that I can address these issues personally.

I can be reached at dleonczyk@bcacinc.org or call the office at 413-445-4503.

Deborah Leonczyk
Pittsfield, Mass.

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