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Gift bags for senior citizens were decorated by elementary school pupils.

Taconic High Students Play Santa To Seniors At Hillcrest

By Andy McKeeveriBerkshires Staff
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Taconic High School students Eukeria Asamoah and Adjoa Boateng helped Angelina Flynn open one of her presents at Hillcrest Commons.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Santa didn't forget the county's mostly isolated seniors.

Home Instead Senior Care has led an community effort to bring gifts and cards to more than 300 seniors across the county. The annual Be A Santa To A Senior program has "exploded" and this year involved schools and the highest number of gifts it's provided in the last 10 years.

"This is the year it exploded," said Dorsey Hydon, one of the organizers for Home Instead.

Each year, names of seniors who are struggling financially or who have few family remaining are collected from human services organizations. Those names are placed on four trees and residents purchase gifts for them.

This year, schools jumped on board. Children from Crosby, Capeless and Williams elementary schools decorated the gift bags. Stearns and Williams elementary pupils and Hillcrest Educational Centers students made cards and, on Tuesday, students from Taconic High School helped deliver some of the gifts to seniors at Hillcrest Commons.


"This is the first year the schools are jumping in and it's awesome," Hydon said. "We've sponsored 300 seniors this year. It's grown immensely."

Taconic health science teacher Amy Green said many of her students have worked at Hillcrest Commons as part of the class and it was nice to be able to bring the students back.

"They are students who are interested in health careers," she said. "They have worked here as part of the program. It's nice that they can come back and see the residents again."

Taconic's English department also jumped in on the action with students taking up a collection and shopping for some of the senior citizens.

Home Instead has been delivering gifts this week to seniors all over the county — from Williamstown to Great Barrington — and hopes to finish by Saturday.


Tags: holiday event,   nursing home,   senior citizens,   

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Pittsfield ZBA Member Recognized for 40 Years of Service

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

Albert Ingegni III tells the council about how his father-in-law, former Mayor Remo Del Gallo who died at age 94 in 2020, enjoyed his many years serving the city and told Ingegni to do the same. 

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — It's not every day that a citizen is recognized for decades of service to a local board — except for Tuesday.

Albert Ingegni III was applauded for four decades of service on the Zoning Board of Appeals during City Council. Mayor Peter Marchetti presented him with a certificate of thanks for his commitment to the community.

"It's not every day that you get to stand before the City Council in honor of a Pittsfield citizen who has dedicated 40 years of his life serving on a board or commission," he said.

"As we say that, I know that there are many people that want to serve on boards and commissions and this office will take any resume that there is and evaluate each person but tonight, we're here to honor Albert Ingegni."

The honoree is currently chair of the ZBA, which handles applicants who are appealing a decision or asking for a variance.

Ingegni said he was thinking on the ride over about his late father-in-law, former Mayor Remo Del Gallo, who told him to "enjoy every moment of it because it goes really quickly."

"He was right," he said. "Thank you all."

The council accepted $18,000 from the state Department of Conservation and Recreation and a  $310,060 from the U.S. Department of Transportation's Safe Streets and Roads for All program.

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