The Board of Directors of the Al Nelson Friendship Center Food Pantry in North Adams wishes to thank the North Adams, Clarksburg and Florida Mountain community for their generation donations to the May 11 Letter Carrier Food Drive.
We received a total of 3,595 pounds of food and personal care items.
We equally want to thank our Letter Carriers who work out of the North Adams Post Office. They again went above and beyond in collecting the donations and bringing them to the collection and sorting site. They are always a pleasure to work with.
We also want to thank the Northern Berkshire United Way, the Northern Berkshire Community Coalition, and the Berkshire United Way for their support, as well all of the volunteers who helped on the day of the Food Drive.
Lois Daunis North Adams, Mass.
Daunis is the board president of the Friendship Center.
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North Adams Council Gets Update on Opioid Collaborative Actions
By Tammy Daniels iBerkshires Staff
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The City Council got an update from the Berkshire Overdose and Addiction Prevention Collaborative on Tuesday.
Andy Ottoson and Anna Youngman, of the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission, spoke about the Into the Light Project and other work being undertaken by the collaborative.
"The HEAL (Helping to End Addiction Long-term) Coalition, with funding from the city and from [Berkshire Health Systems], brought the Into the Light Project to our area to reduce stigma, encourage compassion, and promote dialog, inviting viewers to advocate for improved treatment access and respectful disruptions around addiction," said Youngman, North County HEAL Coalition community coordinator.
The exhibit of artist illustrations and narratives of those lost to overdose, including residents of North Berkshire, was displayed at Hotel Downstreet earlier this year; partial versions of the exhibit are now being displayed in municipal buildings, including City Hall and Adams Town Hall.
Youngman said about 1,000 people from seven states viewed the exhibit and that the "feedback from the project was exceptional." The exhibit is the brainchild of nonprofit's founder and artist Theresa Clower who has put on nearly two dozen installations around the country.
"We extend our deepest gratitude to the local families who shared the stories of their loved ones with us throughout this project by allowing us to see the whole person, their joys, their talents, and their dreams," said Youngman. "These families have helped break down stigma and remind us that every life matters."
She continued that the number of outreach specialists has doubled to 12 and that the collaborative is doing a needs assessment to determine the most crucial needs and create a strategic plan for use of the opioid settlement funds.
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