To the editor:
On May 12th, we held our inaugural fundraiser for Berkshire Baby Box, a nonprofit organization that provides a safe sleeping space for newborns and many items to help ease the transition to new parenthood. Every new parent in Berkshire County is eligible for a box, and we have given away over 1,600 Berkshire Baby Boxes since June 2016. It is our goal that receiving a Berkshire Baby Box will become a treasured rite of passage for all new families as it is in Finland (for close to 80 years!).
I want to thank the amazing Berkshire community for supporting our efforts and the event, from the Berkshire Edge, which wrote about our Sweet Berkshire Dessert Auction, to the professional bakers who provided spectacular desserts and the many proprietors who donated wonderful (non-dessert) auction items, the talented musicians and entertainers who added so much to the festivities, the folks throughout the county who submitted their favorite dessert recipes for our Sweet Berkshires Dessert Cookbook, and to all who joined us at the Country Club of Pittsfield on the Saturday of Mother’s Day weekend.
A special shoutout and thanks go to WSBS and to our sponsors: Greylock Federal Credit Union, Only in My Dreams Events, the Bookloft and Brian O’Rourke Construction.
We wanted to hold a centrally located, multigenerational event where people could spend quality time with family members, neighbors and friends, and to create a keepsake cookbook filled with special recipes and stories about them. Food connects us through generations and across nationalities, and this collection represents our shared humanity.
We truly felt the love and community support for our initiative, which is all about providing community support and connection. I hope you will visit our website at berkshirebabybox.org to see photos of the fabulous desserts and the highlights of our day.
With MUCH appreciation,
Hinda Bodinger
Founder, Berkshire Baby Box
South Egremont
