BCC to host virtual Martin Luther King Jr. National Day of Service
Pittsfield — Berkshire Community College (BCC) announces its annual Martin Luther King Jr. National Day of Service will take place, virtually, on Monday, Jan. 18. The event is co-sponsored by the Berkshire Branch of the NAACP.
BCC President Ellen Kennedy invites the community to participate in the event. “In light of all that is happening, this is a moment to engage in volunteerism. To connect, to support, and to engage to build a better future in the Berkshires. Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. said ‘Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, what are you doing for others?’ This day allows us to work together to answer that question.”
The event begins at 9 a.m. with a virtual keynote speech by author and educator Dr. Chris Himes. Afterward, participants will have an opportunity to connect with fellow community members through Zoom breakout rooms.
Participants will then be able to give back to their community by choosing to:
- Craft Valentine’s Day cards and notes of appreciation for residents of Berkshire Healthcare Systems nursing homes
- Write letters of gratitude to deployed soldiers
- Donate new face masks, new underwear for men and women, small hand sanitizers, disposable menstrual products, individual snacks, and K-cups (coffee) for the re-opened homeless shelter in Pittsfield.
Participants may also make a monetary donation to the homeless shelter at https://www.servicenet.org/donate/ by selecting “Other” from the field “where would you like this gift directed” and, in the field “If other, please add your designation,” specifying Berkshire County Services.
Cards, letters, and donations may be dropped off at the West Paterson Gymnasium doors of the BCC Paterson Field House, located at 1350 West Street in Pittsfield, from 1-3 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 18. Those heading to campus must fill out a Campus Request Form (found at www.berkshirecc.edu/campusaccess) for contact tracing, wear a mask, and follow social distancing guidelines.
—A.K.
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Nonprofits team up for MLK Day drive-through food distribution
Pittsfield — Berkshire Bounty, Northern Berkshire United Way, Berkshire United Way, Berkshire Community Action Council, and Nonprofit Center of the Berkshires are collaborating to assemble and distribute 1,000 bags of nutritious canned and packaged food throughout Berkshire County to celebrate the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service, on Monday, Jan. 18.
Financed by Berkshire Bounty, Berkshire Money Management, and an anonymous donor, the food distribution will be countywide. Guido’s Fresh Marketplace has arranged for wholesale pricing, and L.P. Adams Co., Inc. has offered warehouse space for packing and transportation of the 19,000 pounds of food purchased.
Distribution will take place from 10 a.m.–1 p.m., on Monday, Jan. 18, at the Boys & Girls Club of the Berkshires, located at 16 Melville St., Pittsfield, Mass. Volunteers will place a bag of food in each car, and deliver food to those who are not able to pick it up. In addition, bags of food will be provided to Price Memorial AME Zion Church, WIC/CHP, Claire Teague Senior Center, and Volunteers in Medicine to distribute to their predetermined recipients.
Grocery bag packing and distribution will take place in a safe, masked, and socially distant manner. Sign up to volunteer at www.volunteerberkshireuw.org. For questions, call Brenda Petell, BUW director of volunteer engagement, at 413-212-1431.
Financial donations for future food distribution efforts are needed and can be made through Berkshire Bounty.
—A.K.
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NAACP — Berkshire County Branch to host annual Freedom Fund Awards
Pittsfield — This year’s NAACP — Berkshire County Branch Freedom Fund Awards will be held virtually, at 7 p.m., on Saturday, Jan. 23. The annual event raises money to provide stipends to students of color in Berkshire County who are planning on attending college the following year.
The recipients of this year’s awards are Rachel Fletcher, W. E. B. Du Bois Freedom Award; Sandra Burton, Baba Chuck Davis Freedom Award; Lori Murphy, Margaret Hart Freedom Award.
The keynote speech will be given by acclaimed writer Deesha Philyaw, a 2020 National Book Award finalist for her debut short story collection “The Secret Lives of Church Ladies.” She is also the co-author of “Co-Parenting 101: Helping Your Kids Thrive in Two Households after Divorce,” written in collaboration with her ex-husband. Philyaw’s work has been listed as Notable in the Best American Essays series, and her writing on race, parenting, gender, and culture has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, McSweeney’s, The Rumpus, Harvard Review, Ebony, and many other publications. She is a Kimbilio Fiction Fellow and a past Pushcart Prize nominee for essay writing. She lives in Pittsburgh, Penn.
The event is free and open to the public, but rolling registration is limited, and donations to support the student stipends are encouraged. The program will also be livestreamed on Pittsfield Community Television (PCTV), PCTV Select, and the NAACP — Berkshire County Branch and PCTV Facebook pages.
For more information or questions, please visit the NAACP — Berkshire County website or email naacpberkshirecounty@gmail.com
—A.K.
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Assets for Artists announces recovery-focused financial and business webinars
North Adams — Assets for Artists has redesigned its business and financial education programming to provide Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island artists with pandemic-recovery-focused, distance-learning opportunities that largely retain the intimate style of its in-person workshops.
Webinars, which will run from January 26–May 5, will focus on current challenges, relief efforts, and opportunities for artists’ financial futures. All workshops are free and held via Zoom, with pre-registration required to keep the webinar cohorts at a size that maximizes participation and peer support.
Learn more and register at Assets for Artists.
