Lee Bank Foundation Announces Community Funding

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LEE, Mass. — Lee Bank Foundation has awarded $40,500 to nine Berkshire area organizations in its third-round of 2021 community grant awards. 
 
Recipients were awarded grants ranging from $1,000 to $13,500 to support their local programming. Included in the awards are a series of Arts Access Grants for arts and culture organizations to expand access to programming for underserved audiences.
 
The following organizations received funding from Lee Bank Foundation:
  • Alliance for a Viable Future
  • Berkshire Area Health Education Center
  • Berkshire Innovation Center
  • Berkshire Museum
  • Berkshire Pulse
  • Community Development Corporation of South Berkshire
  • Extra Special Teas
  • Goodwill Industries of the Berkshires & So. Vermont
  • Shakespeare & Company
 
Arts Access Grants of $1,000 each were awarded to Berkshire Pulse and Shakespeare & Company.
 
To date, the Lee Bank Foundation has received over 75 grant applications for its first three rounds of funding. The deadline for the final round of 2021 Foundation funding is Dec. 1. The application and more information can be found on the Community Impact section of Lee Bank's website.
 
To be considered for grant awards, applicants must be a (501)(c)(3) nonprofit organization. The Foundation is focused on funding programs that work to bridge income and opportunity gaps in our region. Funding requests should reflect one or more of Lee Bank Foundation's primary focus areas:
 
  • Education and literacy
  • Food security and nutrition
  • Economic growth and development
  • Health and human services
  • Mentorship, internship and "school to work" initiatives
  • Arts and culture
 
Applicants may submit only one application in a 12-month period.
 

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Butternut Fire Contained; Conditions Improve

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — The Butternut Fire is now believed to be contained after burning nearly 1,400 acres on East Mountain.
 
The Fire Department continues to urge people to stay out of the affected woods, as the chances of getting hurt are high, and not to start outdoor fires.
 
Public Information Officer Lt. Brian Mead on Saturday morning said there are still hotspots and potential for flareups.
 
"This area is very unstable. We are expecting that there are going to be tree falling, there are going to be landslides and there are going to be rocks rolling downhill," he said. "It is very steep. The area is slippery. We cannot have anybody in this area."
 
The fire had not grown as of Friday and crews have dwindled as light rain fell across the region over the past three days. On Friday, the department reported 15 crew members — down from a high of 120 — and identified the involved area as 1,388 acres.
 
Drones and a crew from Wyoming were walking the perimeter on Saturday and verifying that fire breaks cut into forest are holding, the Fire Department posted. The crew from Wyoming is a Type VI engine crew with "vast knowledge of wildfires" and will be making adjustments and improvements as needed over the next few days, the post read. 
 
The smoke through the town and surrounding areas appears to be minimal. Locations to get KN-95 or N-95 masks can be found at www.southernberkshirehealth.com or by calling Southern Berkshire Public Health Collaborative at 413-243-5540, Ext. 109. The Bushnell Sage Library will have masks available this weekend on Saturday from 10-2 or Sunday from 2-5. Other mask distribution sites are open during the week.
 
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