First Congregational Church of Williamstown donated 60 pies.
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — It was Thanksgiving on Monday at the Berkshire Food Project.
The free lunch program has for three decades made a point of ensuring anyone can get a turkey dinner with all trimmings — albeit a few days before the holiday.
"It's wonderful," said Arnold Hynes, sitting with friends in the dining room at First Congregational Church. "We're regulars here at every meal. It's really wonderful."
His friend Jim said it was "the first time I've had Thanksgiving in 2 1/2 years, I truly appreciate it." He's had a tough few years after a serious fall working construction left him with a lot of medical issues and a failed marriage.
Still, Jim was hoping to pay back the project somehow and wasn't looking for more because "I don't want to take away from anybody else."
But there was plenty to go around on Monday: More than 320 pounds of turkey, 150 pounds of potatoes, 225 cups of stuffing and more than 60 pies from First Congregational Church in Williamstown were served up, along with some mini pies from Many Forks Farm.
"Today is really kind of our largest event of the year and this weekend, and today, we've had over 60 volunteers come through," said Executive Director Stephanie Bosley. "And so just seeing the magnitude of generosity that's in our community that people have donated their time, they've donated supplies to us."
Casita, the new Mexican eatery on the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art campus, took over the turkey duties, organizing with restaurants around the area to cook up the birds and then delivered and prepared them in the morning.
The turkeys were donated or purchased with monetary donations, which was a big help for the nonprofit. The potatoes came from Food Bank of Western Massachusetts.
"Every person that walks through our doors gets a meal, and today is no exception," Bosley said. "So if we run out, we'll just go buy some more from the store and we'll prepare it quickly."
She took over as director in September, and has a some familiarity with food production, noting her mother's been in food service her whole career.
"But this is different than anything that I've done before and I really am enjoying my time here," she said.
The Thanksgiving meal was started by longtime former director Valerie Schwarz and Bosley said it's now a tradition.
"We live in such a great community. And I love the sense of community here at Berkshire Food Project, having the ability to share a meal with our neighbors," she said. "You know, I usually try to grab something and sit down with folks. And it's just, it's been great."
The dining room was busy at the 11 a.m. seating; a second was set for 4 to 6 p.m. A number of volunteers including Mayor Jennifer Macksey were on the serving line.
Helena Romana came in as a volunteer a couple years ago and soon became the dining room manager and kitchen assistant.
"I've always had a thing for helping the community," she said. "I thank my grandmother for that, she instilled that value. I used to live right across the street and I just started volunteering and a month later they hired me."
The project serves lunch three times a week but will be closed this Friday; but diners will get something to take home on Wednesday to tide them over.
And everyone on Monday was given a bag of nonperishable items donated by MountainOne.
"We realized that maybe some of the food access points that people regularly visit will have holiday hours," said Bosley. "So I want to make sure that people had enough until Monday when we reopen."
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North Adams Council Sets School Debt Exclusion Vote
By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
Council President Bryan Sapienza holds up an application to work as a poll worker for the upcoming elections. The form can be found under 'Becoming an election worker' under city clerk on the city website or in the city clerk's office.
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The City Council gave final approval on Tuesday for the mayor to borrow $65,362,859 for a new Greylock School to serve Grades prekindergarten through 2.
This final adoption paves the way for two community forums and a debt exclusion vote scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 8, from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. at St. Elizabeth's Parish Center. Passage of the debt exclusion vote will allow the city to raise funds beyond its levy limit for the life of the loan.
City Clerk Tina Marie Leonesio said the city has about 1,400 requests for mail-in ballots for all elections and that in-person early voting will start the Saturday before.
The first forum is Thursday, Aug. 15, at 6 p.m. at Greylock; officials will provide an overview of the project and tours of the school. Zoom participation is available here. Northern Berkshire Community Television will also record the forums for later broadcast.
The second forum is Thursday, Aug. 22, at 6 p.m. at Brayton Elementary School. The Zoom link is the same and those attending in person can also take a tour of the building.
The Massachusetts School Building Authority will pick up about $41,557,218 of the cost, the city about $20 million and the $3 million balance is expected to come from federal energy grants. The 30-year tiered loan for $20 million is expected to have its highest impact in 2029 when it will add $270 to the average tax bill, or about $22.50 a month.
This final adoption paves the way for two community forums and a debt exclusion vote scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 8, from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. at St. Elizabeth's Parish Center.
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This year, the family took on a new challenge, purchasing the historic West End Market building at 437 West Main St. and opening the city's first vegan restaurant, Wish Tree.
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The school received a $64,000 Feigenbaum Foundation grant a couple years ago, but because of supply and shipping delays from the pandemic, the equipment was not delivered until this past winter. click for more
Nearly a dozen residents attended Monday's Conservation Commission meeting to express opposition to a forest management plan that will include logging and the use of herbicides near Notch Reservoir. click for more
Stoss Landscape Urbanism and its partners are charged with providing North Adams options for addressing the failing overpass to create a more connected and thriving downtown.
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