Popcares had to cancel its Christmas tree sales this year. Instead, it's offering another chance at a chicken dinner. The charity provides support to local people dealing with cancer.
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Popcares Inc. is offering a second chance at a takeout chicken dinner from Bounti-Fare to help support local individuals and families dealing with cancer.
But get your order in here because the deadline is Monday, Dec. 7. Pickup is Monday, Dec. 14.
An important part of Popcares' fundraising has been events that bring people together.
"When we decided to start this back in 2012 in honor of my dad (William "Pop" St. Pierre), we wanted to be an all-volunteer organization and give money to local families," Bob St. Pierre said. "And we wanted to give people something for their donation."
From the annual Cruise-in and Flea Market to the Chicken Dinner and Auction that sells around 600 tickets, its events have reflected the charity's mission to ensure the local donations it raises stay in the community.
But the novel coronavirus pandemic has made these types of gatherings all but impossible — and that's putting a dent in Popcares' ability to support local families.
"First it was the spaghetti dinner, and then we had to cancel the car show," said Bob St. Pierre.
Then the annual chicken dinner went curbside and auction online, only raising about half the $50,000 that it's brought in in the past. The dinners brought a large group of competitive bidders together — it wasn't unusual for a stack of whoopie pies to go for hundreds of dollars — and a silent auction.
The annual December fundraiser seemed perfect for a COVID-19 world: outside Christmas tree sales. But the charity was tripped up once again. There's a Christmas tree shortage and it couldn't get any to sell.
So Bounti-Fare is firing up the ovens for another round of chicken dinners to go along with a pasta primavera option.
"Because we couldn't run our Christmas tree sales ... we could do another drive-up dinner," said St. Pierre. "People loved the last one so much."
October's annual dinner sold about 350 dinners and St. Pierre is hoping to match that again.
In addition to David Nicholas at Bounti-Fare, the community's been very supportive in other ways, he said, such as Shire Donuts doing a recent campaign that raised $2,000 and the Adams Police Department is extending its No Shave November campaign into December for the charity.
Popcares has distributed more than $650,000 to date, helping families meet their daily needs so they can concentrate on battling cancer.
"I think that's what people like about it," St. Pierre said. "The money stays local and they know the money they donate will go out to local people who need it."
For this fundraiser, Popcares is helping out another local charity. Anyone who drops off a non-perishable food item when they pick up their dinner (of if you just want to drop off food) will be entered into a prize drawing. The food will be donated to the Northern Berkshire Al Nelson Food Pantry.
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.
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Blue Vista Motor Lodge Brings Hospitality & View to Guests
By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
Among the upgrades at the renovated lodge is a sauna to refresh after a day of skiing and hiking.
FLORIDA, Mass. — The Blue Vista Motor Lodge is still bringing hospitality to the town of Florida — even 100 years, many owners, names, and renovations later.
"When we were working on renovation plans, we found a postcard online from 1923 from the Whitcomb Summit Motor Lodge so that's kind of exciting that for over 100 years, people have been coming here and I think you can see why," owner Stella Downie said.
It all started with a small shack on Whitcomb Summit offering souvenirs and drinks that opened up with the highway in 1914. With growing popularity along the scenic byway, small cottages were built for motorists to stay on the Mohawk Trail's highest point.
Unfortunately, in 1938, the store and a restaurant burned and the cottages started to get run down. In the 1960s, the cottages were replaced with the current building, named Whitcomb Summit Lodge.
There were attempts to rejuvenate the summit for tourism over the preceding decades that fell by the wayside — from campgrounds and timeshares to fine dining and condominiums.
Downie purchased the building in December 2021, renovated the lodge in 2022 with a soft opening that fall, and officially opened in early 2023.
"We really wanted to clean it up and make it a beautiful place again for people to come and visit and really highlight the views," she said.
When Downie took over the property, she said it needed fixes and moving around. She took down all of the bordering dilapidated buildings that had long been abandoned, including the shuttered restaurant, to enhance the grounds.
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