Williamstown Farmers Market gets $2,000 Grant

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — Berkshire Agricultural Ventures has awarded a $2,000 grant to the Williamstown Farmers Market, one of ten grants totaling more than $100,000 to farmers markets in the region.

Grants from the Market Match Fund allow these markets to match Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits up to $30, giving SNAP recipients up to $60 to purchase fresh, local produce, meat, dairy, breads and baked goods, seeds and edible plants. These grants are designed to increase access to fresh, local food for low-income families while increasing sales for local farmers.

"The Williamstown Farmers Market is thrilled to have received this grant," said Market Manager Leslie Reed-Evans. "We’ve made equitable food access a priority this year, having just implemented SNAP acceptance at the market. Matching dollars for SNAP purchases provides EBT card holders an opportunity to increase their buying power, while at the same time boosting the sales of vendors. We are most grateful for BAV's investment." 

Other markets that have received grants, each based on the needs and capacity of the market, include those in Great Barrington, Lee, North Adams, Pittsfield, Sheffield, West Stockbridge, Copake-Hillsdale, Millerton, and New Lebanon.

Market Match Fund grants are made possible with support from Adams Community Bank, Berkshire Bank, Berkshire Food Co-op, The Josephine and Louise Crane Foundation, The Feigenbaum Foundation, Greylock Federal Credit Union, Guardian Life Insurance, The Donald C. McGraw Foundation, The Whitehead Foundation, Wild Oats Market, and a number of generous individuals.

'Nobody' Better Than the Mount Greylock Class of 2024

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
03:43PM / Saturday, June 08, 2024

Class speaker Judge Martin offered apologies all around for the chaotic class of 2024. See more photos here.

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The class speaker for the 104 graduates of Mount Greylock Regional School apologized for the wild and crazy antics of the class of 2024. 

 

"Our class was not that easy. We came into this brand-new school like a bull in a china shop. It was crazy," Judge Martin said. Students came into the middle school from surrounding towns, and "with that mix of kids, chaos happened." 

 

They lost field trip privileges, the right to use the staircase and claimed credit for the burst pipe that flooded the new school and sent everyone home early just days before the entry into remote learning because of the pandemic.

 

"On behalf of my class, we apologize for the mess," Martin said. "But look at us now — we're no longer those middle schoolers everyone hates, no longer causing water damage in our school. And surprisingly, no longer the worst middle school class to come through Mount Greylock, which was really a hard title to take but somehow the grades below us found a way."

 

He was also sorry it took so long for the class to realize how amazing they are and apologized for taking them all for granted.

 

"We're sorry to this school and everything we put it through most importantly thank you for giving us the time to grow out of chaos and find our identity in the end," Martin said. 

 

Martin gave a shout out to Superintendent Jason McCandless, who announced his departure at the end of the school year, calling him "our favorite superintendent" to loud applause.