Letter: Get Information About Dangers of Youth Vaping

Letter to the Editor11:35AM / Sunday, October 31, 2021Print Story | Email Story

To the Editor:

The start of the school year and new routines brings new worries about teen vaping. These concerns are important, especially now, because smoking and vaping may put people at higher risk of complications from COVID-19.

One in three Massachusetts teens vape and talking with young people about the dangers of vaping can make a difference. Learn more and watch videos at GetOutraged.org, part of a public information campaign from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. Get Outraged! aims to spread the word that vaping products contain nicotine, can damage a teen's developing brain, and are addictive. The campaign also shares tips on talking with kids about vaping and resources to help them quit.

Get Outraged! complements "Facts. No Filters." a campaign with videos and information about vaping for youth at mass.gov/vaping by the Department of Public Health in collaboration with the Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation.

In addition, handouts about vaping and quit resource cards for youth are available free of charge at the Massachusetts Health Promotion Clearinghouse.

For more information and to help you educate young people about vaping, contact Joyce Brewer at the Berkshire Tobacco-Free Community Partnership, jbrewer@berkshireahec.org

Joyce Brewer
Dalton, Mass.

Joyce Brewer is the program manager for the Berkshire Tobacco Free Community Partnership of Berkshire AHEC.

Tags: childrens health, letters to the editor, vaping,

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Northern Berkshire EMS Restocks North Adams Veterans Food Pantry

By Jack GuerinoiBerkshires Staff
07:00AM / Saturday, March 07, 2026

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Northern Berkshire EMS helped fill out the Veterans Pantry in City Hall after an agency-wide food drive.

Veterans Agent Kurtis Durocher was thankful for the much-needed replenishing.

"There is always a need, and that need is exponentially growing," he said, adding he estimates the donation equals between $1,000 to $1,500 of groceries and other supplies.

Angela Swistak, of the Transportation Division, helped organize the fundraising effort. She said she went to City Hall to update her dog licenses and saw a flyer on Durocher's door.

"I came in to get my dog license, and I saw the note on the door looking for donations. So I stopped in and said, 'let's do this'," she said.

Durocher said it was a perfect opportunity because that day he was reaching out to businesses and organizations to see if anyone wanted to run a fundraiser.

Swistak said donation receptacles were placed at the North Adams station, the Williamstown station, and the Council on Aging as well as other locations.

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