Fall Food Drive Helps Local Pantries02:52PM / Friday, November 14, 2008
PITTSFIELD, Mass – On November 1, residents of Berkshire County donated 57,908 pounds of non-perishable food in the countywide Letter Carriers Food Drive. By the end of the day, all the food had been redistributed to over 28 good pantries and meal-site throughout the Berkshires.
Local 286 letter carrier Mike Callahan, Shirley MacDonald of Berkshire Community Action Council, and Maryanne Boenitz of the Berkshire United Way were coordinators for the drive.
Pittsfield volunteers included letter carriers, active and retired postal workers and their family members and 30 high school students from Berkshire Youth United along with their advisor Ralph “Doc” Casey. In-kind donations included cardboard boxes from Poly-Matrix, a moving truck from Tailored Events and pizza from Pizza Hut.
31,235 pounds of food from the drive was distributed to the following sites in Pittsfield and Dalton: Barton’s Crossing, Christian Center, Dalton Sunday Lunch Program, Salvation Army, St. Joseph’s Church, St. Agnes Church, Lanesboro American Legion VFW, St. Mark’s Parish, St. Joseph’s Kitchen at South Church, First Baptist Church, First Congregation Church/Hinsdale, Soldier On, Elizabeth Freeman Center, Reigning Love Church, Christian Assembly Food Pantry, Goodwill Industries of the Berkshires, St. Charles Church, Berkshire Community Action Council, and Dalton United Methodist Loaves & Fishes. The total distributed in northern Berkshire including North Adams, Adams, and Williamstown was 17,083. In southern Berkshire the total was 8,150 and 1,440 in Becket and Hinsdale. |
