Huge boxes of squash arrive at the Visitors Center for distribution.
ADAMS, Mass. — Rain or shine, volunteers have continued to distribute food from the mobile food bank throughout the pandemic.
Not even a rainy day can stop the mobile food bank and Tuesday volunteers were out in full force making hundreds of deliveries.
"You can see that people need this," volunteer Karen Daigle said. "There is a joy to helping people and being part of this community. It is important to give back."
The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts' Mobile Food Bank visits the Adams Council on Aging every second and fourth Tuesday of the month. The program reaches underserved populations throughout Western Massachusetts who don't have access to healthy foods.
Before COVID-19, people would line up, grab a bag of food, and be off but now the operation is far more complex. Cars park in the Visitors Center's parking lot or the Waverly Mill parking lot and a volunteer delivers a bag of food.
"We do both parking lots," volunteer Greg Lucia said. "We have crews. One does this parking lot and one goes the other way. When that empties out we all come up here and try to finish it off."
Council on Aging Director Erica Girgenti said this limits contact and the congregation of large crowds but takes a bit more manpower. She said before the pandemic, only a group of 10 or so volunteers would be needed. Now they need about 30.
Girgenti said the Council on Aging has about 40 volunteers on file and, on Tuesday, 35 were on-site in rain gear ready to deliver food to the hundred or so cars in the queue.
"COVID-19 changed the way we did things," she said. "... It was overwhelming we had to turn down some volunteers because we can't have so many people that we are on top of each other."
In the past, the COA has served more than 350 households on a single day, and Girgenti said Tuesday looked to be ramping up quickly by 10 a.m.
Daigle lauded the organization of the food drop off and noted that it not only ran like a well-oiled machine but was safe.
Lucia agreed and said Adams has a history of stepping up to help the community.
"There are so many people out of work right now, and the little bit of food we do give does help," he said. "Adams has always been a great community for helping. You just put the word out and people step right up."
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Adams Picks Select Board Candidates; Cheshire Nixes Appointed Assessor
By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
ADAMS, Mass. — Voters chose incumbent John Duval and newcomer Ann Bartlett for the two open seats on the Selectmen.
Bartlett, a co-owner of the former Red Carpet Diner, garnered the most votes at 791, more than 300 above the other three challengers, and Duval was returned for another three-year term with 685.
Incumbent Howard Rosenberg's decision sparked a five-way race for the two seats. Coming in third was Jerome Socolof with 465, Mitchell Wisniowski with 446 and former board member Donald Sommer with 367.
All results are unofficial.
Wisniowski did win a seat on the Parks Commission and Michael Mach outpolled challenger Timothy Kitchell Jr. 887-407 to stay on the Planning Board.
Frederick Lora appears to have bested Jennifer Solak as Adams representative to the Hoosac Valley Regional School District by 10 votes. The unofficial tally is 814-804, with Lora gaining 674 votes to Solak's 620 in Adams; the voted flipped in Cheshire with Solak winning 184-140 but not enough to overcome the gap. Robert Tetlow Jr., running unopposed, was returned as the Cheshire representative.
Write-ins for Board of Health and Redevelopment Authority, which had no candidates, were still being tallied.
That wasn't all, of course, as she was applauded for her 30 years overseeing the town's elections and vital records. There were plenty of hugs and some tears for a closing out of her long career.
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Listening to Little list off all the specialized components he sells and installs, from public safety lighting to municipal warning lights and radio communication, his technical knowledge and experience shines through.
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Selectmen Chair and 1Berkshire Director of Member Services and Christine Hoyt has been nominated for the April Community Hero of the Month. click for more
Specialty Minerals is expected to pay $299,000 for a discharge of calcium carbonate into the Hoosic River nearly three years ago in a consent decree with the Attorney General's Office. click for more
The Adams Beautification group, which has been quietly sprucing up the town since 2022, hopes to bring in more members of the community during a community cleanup day scheduled for Saturday, April 27. click for more
Berkshire Arts and Technology Charter Public School history teacher Alla Chelukhova has been selected as the April Teacher of the Month. click for more