Food Bank of Western Massachusetts Welcomes Berkshire Bounty

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CHICOPEE, Mass. — The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts (FBWMA) announced a new partnership with Berkshire Bounty, a food rescue organization located in Great Barrington, dedicated to alleviating hunger throughout Berkshire County. 
 
The collaboration will enhance the effort to recover and distribute fresh, nutritious food to individuals and families county-wide.
 
Berkshire Bounty is a volunteer-driven organization that collects food from 25 local retailers and delivers it to 31 food access sites across Berkshire County. With a network of 130 registered volunteers, Berkshire Bounty is on track to collect an estimated 450,000 pounds of food in 2024. Forty percent of this food is purchased to meet the needs of the community, including eggs, meat, fresh produce, dairy, and culturally appropriate foods.
 
"The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts recognized the important work of Berkshire Bounty in our shared mission to feed people in need and is thrilled to now be partners in this effort," said Brandie Taggart, food donations coordinator at the Food Bank. "We look forward to forging a strong and lasting partnership with the team at Berkshire Bounty."
 
In the spring of 2024, Berkshire Bounty and FBWMA signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to formalize their collaboration. Through this partnership, Berkshire Bounty volunteers are now transporting donated food from grocery stores directly to FBWMA member agencies, ensuring that food reaches food pantries and community kitchens four days a week. Since the beginning of the partnership, which started as a pilot program in January 2024, nearly 50,000 pounds of food, valued at $90,000, have been collected and distributed.
 
"The partnership with FBWMA has opened the door to providing more food to the Berkshire County community in need," said Morgan Ovitsky, Executive Director of Berkshire Bounty. "Together, we are working to increase the quantity of healthy, fresh food available to residents so they can thrive."
 
The Food Bank and Berkshire Bounty will continue to identify additional retail stores, farms, and food donors to expand the food rescue efforts. The partnership is expected to have a direct impact on reducing food insecurity in the Berkshires.
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Triplex Announces Screening of 'A Different Man'

GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — The Triplex Cinema announced that Aaron Schimberg, the writer and director of the critically acclaimed new film "A Different Man," will be visiting the Triplex on Nov. 9 for a Q & A, following the 7:00 pm screening of his film. 
 
Nominated for Best Feature and Outstanding Supporting Actor at the Gotham Awards, "A Different Man," released by A24 films, is a black comedy psychological thriller which stars Sebastian Stan, Renate Reinsve and Adam Pearson. In the film, an aspiring actor undergoes a radical medical procedure to drastically transform his appearance. However, his new dream face quickly turns into a nightmare as he becomes obsessed with reclaiming what was lost.
 
Aaron Schimberg, a NY-based filmmaker, directed the critically acclaimed film "Go Down Death" (2014) and the 2019 film "Chained for Life," which also stars Adam Pearson. 
 
Sebastian Stan is known for the films "Captain America: The First Avenger," "The Martian," "Logan Lucky" and "I ,Tonya," and most recently portrayed a young Donald Trump in "The Apprentice." His television work includes "Gossip Girl," and "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier." For his work in  "A Different Man," Stan was awarded the prestigious Silver Bear for Best Leading Performance at the Berlin Film Festival. 
 
Renate Reinsve is a Norwegian Actress who shot to fame with her breakout role in the critically acclaimed film "The Worst Person in the World," for which she won the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress. Adam Pearson is a British actor who made his film debut in Jonathan Glazer's "Under the Skin." Born with neurofibromatosis, he has long been involved in outreach programs connected with the disease. 
 
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