Where to Find a Thanksgiving Meal

As Thanksgiving approaches, many community organizations are serving dinner for the public. Let us know if we've missed one by emailing us a info@iberkshires.com.

Sunday, Nov. 24

* The Salvation Army on River Street in North Adams is offering a takeout Thanksgiving meal available for pickup between 4 and 5 p.m. Call the office at 413-663-7987 and leave your name and the number of people to be fed.

Monday, Nov. 25

* The Berkshire Food Project will host its annual free Thanksgiving meal for the community with two seatings: from 1 to 2 p.m. and 4 to 6 p.m. There are no reservations; meals are served on a first come, first serve basis. This is a traditional holiday meal including turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy and all the side dishes. The Berkshire Food Project is located inside First Congregational Church in downtown North Adams; enter from Main Street or Summer Street between Ashland and Church streets. For those wishing to attend from Williamstown, free rides are available thanks to a grant from the Fund for Williamstown of the Berkshire Taconic Foundation. The round-trip transportation is free but must be reserved in advance; call 413-458-9831.

Thursday, Nov. 28

* All Saints Berkshire Episcopal Church in North Adams will be delivering meals to local seniors, 60 and older, who are alone on Thanksgiving and have no way of having a traditional Thanksgiving meal. The program is provided and organized by local volunteers from the Northern Berkshire community and by All Saints Weekend Meal Ministry.  The meal will be a traditional meal of turkey, stuffing, vegetable, gravy, cranberry sauce roll and pumpkin pie. All Saints will be delivering the meals to seniors that live in North Adams, Adams, Cheshire, Clarksburg, Florida Mountain, and Williamstown between 11 a.m. and noon. This is a free meal and reservations for a meal is required. All seniors who wish to receive a meal must make a reservation by calling 413-664-9656. Volunteers are also sought to deliver the meals on Thanksgiving Day.

* The Berkshire Vegan Network will host its 15th annual "Living Thanksgiving" vegan potluck Thanksgiving gathering from 1 to 3 p.m. at the United Methodist Church of Lenox at 6 Holmes Road in Lenox. All seats must have a reservation; call 413-442-3749. Doors open at 12:30 p.m. The cost is $7 for adults and $4 for children ages 3 to 12. Each person is asked to bring a dish that will serve eight hungry vegans. Please bring a vegan dish that is free of all animal products; please, no soups or stews). Attach a recipe card with ingredients. Also bring your own place setting and utensils. Hot and cold water will be available for drinks, teas and coffee should anyone want them. After the dinner there will be a voluntary share time for people to read a poem, tell a short story or tell why they are thankful. We will immensely appreciate anyone who can stay after the dinner to help clean up, and re-organize the hall.

* The Christian Center on Robbins Avenue in Pittsfield will again provide Thanksgiving dinner to hundreds of local residents this year, continuing the annual tradition established by the late Rev. Willard H. Durant in the 1980s. Home delivery of Thanksgiving dinners will be offered for the homebound on Thanksgiving Day as well as a shared Thanksgiving dinner at noon. Residents of the following places can sign up for a delivered meal at your residence: Epworth Arms, Columbia Arms, Providence Court, Capital Square, Berkshire Town, Francis Plaza, Rose Manor, Wahconah Heights, Central Annex and the YMCA. Other residents in Pittsfield, Lee, Lenox, Dalton and Lanesborough can register for a delivered meal by calling the Christian Center at 413-443-2828. Registration is not required for those looking to have dinner at the center at noon. Food and monetary donations can be dropped off at the center from  9 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekdays. Those looking to volunteer, both onsite and as drivers to deliver meals can call the Christian Center at 413-443-2828.

MCLA in Talks With Anonymous Donor for Art Museum, Art Lab

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
05:19AM / Monday, April 29, 2024

Andre Lynch, the new vice provost for institutional equity and belonging, introduces himself to the trustees, some of whom were participating remotely.

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts may be in line for up to a $10 million donation that will include a campus art museum. 

 

President Jamie Birge told the board of trustees on Thursday that  the college has been in discussions for the last couple years with a donor who wishes at this point to remain anonymous.

 

"It's a donor that has a history of working with public liberal arts institutions to advance the arts that those institutions," he said.  "This donor would like to talk with us or has been talking with us about creating art museum and an art lab on campus."

 

The Fine and Performing Arts Department will have input, the president continued. "We want to make sure that it's a facility that supports that teaching and learning dynamic as well as responding to what's the interest of donor."

 

The college integrated into the local arts community back in 2005 with the opening of Gallery 51 on Main Street that later expanded with an art lab next door. The gallery under the Berkshire Cultural Resource Center had been the catalyst for the former Downstreet Art initiative; its participation has fallen off dramatically with changes in leadership and the pandemic. 

 

This new initiative, should it come to pass, would create a facility on MCLA Foundation property adjacent to the campus. The donor and the foundation have already split the cost of a study. 

 

"We conducted that study to look at what approximately a 6,500-square-foot facility would look like," said Birge. "How we would staff the gallery and lab, how can we use this lab space for fine and performing arts."