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Emergency responders and volunteers set up for last year's toy drive at Walmart. They will be at the store again on Saturday for the 2025 toy drive.

North Adams Emergency Services Collecting Toys for Local Children

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NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — If you see emergency vehicles at Walmart on Saturday — give them a toy. 
 
The annual Emergency Service Toy Drive will be accepting new, unwrapped toys for needy families from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday. 
 
The emergency responders will be set up near the Walmart entrance and will be accepting suitable toys for ages zero to 12 like board games, dolls and action figures, building blocks, art supplies and sports equipment.
 
Toys can also be dropped off until Dec. 11 at the police station, fire station, ambulance station and Bright Ideas Brewery. Monetary donations can be dropped off at the police station to MaryAnn King's attention. 
 
The city's Police and Fire Departments and Northern Berkshire EMS have been running the drive for about decade now. 
 
But organizer King said this year the need is greater than ever. The drive already has 62 families and more than 120 children signed up.
 
"It seems likes it's going to be a tough year and we want to make sure everybody gets something," said King. 
 
Families and children are mostly identified through the Berkshire Community Action Council; volunteers, including from Berkshire Family and Individual Resources, help organize the toys by age and wrap them up for distribution in December. 
 
All of the donations will be given out to children in the community. 

Tags: Christmas story,   emergency services,   toys,   

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Northern Berkshire EMS Restocks North Adams Veterans Food Pantry

By Jack GuerinoiBerkshires Staff
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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