Pittsfield — Volunteers from all over the Berkshires helped out the Thanksgiving Angels organization in putting together holiday meals for those in need. According to its website, the organization provides nearly 1,800 Berkshire County families with a traditional Thanksgiving meal every year. The organization is a collaboration between 21 food pantries, other local organizations, and faith-based communities.
Berkshire United Way assisted the Thanksgiving Angels organization with volunteer coordination through its Volunteer Center, which coordinates and organizes volunteer programs.
According to Berkshire United Way President and CEO Tom Bernard, during the weekend before Thanksgiving, an estimated 300 volunteers all came together to get meals together for those in need through its program, collectively donating at least 2,000 hours of their time. Bernard said that the program will give out at least 1,600 Thanksgiving meals to those in need as part of the program. He said that there were volunteers from multiple companies and organizations, including UNIStress, Berkshire Money Management, Pittsfield High School, Berkshire Bank, Carr Hardware, South Community Food Pantry, Greylock Federal Credit Union, and the Salvation Army.
“This has been a community-wide effort to get all of this together,” Bernard told The Berkshire Edge. “Berkshire United Way helped out by leveraging our platforms, including the Volunteer Center. Also, it has just been amazing to see all these amazing people from the community come together. It’s very important to realize that food security is a 365-day-a-year challenge in Berkshire County. That’s something we shouldn’t lose sight of.”
“So many residents out in Berkshire County are all really struggling to make ends meet, with many of them working two jobs,” United Way Director of Volunteer Engagement Brenda Petell said. “Many of them are making tough decisions about whether or not to pay for food, a medical bill, or car repair. The idea behind the Thanksgiving Angels program is to help people sit down together and enjoy the holiday.”
Petell said that there are many residents in Berkshire County who have to deal with food insecurity 365 days a year, not just during the holidays. “Our local food pantries in the area always need more volunteers,” Petell said. “There are many meal sites looking for help, whether it be the Berkshire Food Project in North Adams [or] the First United Methodist Church in Pittsfield. These sites all need extra hands and volunteers.”
“When residents picked up their meals, I saw so many expressions of gratitude from them,” Bernard said. “There was so much warmth and appreciation from the folks that we saw picking up their meals. It brought a few tears and a lot of smiles to the volunteers. It’s just a reminder of how powerful it is when people come together with a common purpose to get something done.”
For more information about Thanksgiving Angels, visit its website, and for more information about the Berkshire United Way’s Volunteer Center, visit its website.
