1Berkshire and BRPC Launch Business Needs Survey

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — 1Berkshire and Berkshire Regional Planning Commission have launched a survey to ask businesses about the technical assistance they would benefit from in recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic and building resiliency for the future. 

All businesses and non-profits in the Berkshires are encouraged to provide their feedback to this short survey, which will help inform a comprehensive technical assistance program being organized by the two agencies. 
 
Businesses should share their feedback by completing the survey as soon as possible. It can be accessed here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/BERPsurvey2
 
This program will in turn identify subject matter experts to provide no-cost technical assistance to help businesses improve their capacities around needs identified through the survey. Ben Lamb, Director of Economic Development at 1Berkshire, explained 
 
"This survey will provide us the ability to identify specific help businesses and organizations need to regain the momentum they had prior to the pandemic, and to make themselves more resilient for the future," Ben Lamb, Director of Economic Development at 1Berkshire, said. "We will use this feedback to build a network of experts who will provide key technical assistance to help our region's businesses rebuild stronger than ever."
 
The technical assistance effort is a component of the Berkshire Economic Recovery Project plan, funded by a grant awarded to Berkshire Regional Planning Commission by the U.S. Economic Development Administration under the CARES Act Recovery Assistance program. This funding will be used to coordinate short- and long-term economic recovery efforts in the region.
 
"We're pleased to be partnering with 1Berkshire on this project, and I'm confident that the for- and non-profit businesses of our region will benefit greatly from the assistance provided," Laura Brennan, Economic Development Program Manager at Berkshire Regional Planning Commission, said. 

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BUW, NBUW Partner on Community Conversations

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Berkshire United Way and Northern Berkshire United Way are partnering on four community conversations focused on food insecurity, disability, redlining and racism, and health insurance.
 
Each of the conversations will run Wednesdays from 5 to 6:30 p.m., with two in Pittsfield and two in North Adams. 
 
The focus of the conversations is to understand how these issues are having an impact on Berkshire County residents and to hear from organizations and experts helping to address these them.
 
The schedule is as follows: 
 
Food Insecurity, Oct. 14: Berkshire Bounty, Pittsfield Community Food Pantry, The Center, and Community Health Programs. Held at The Center, 193 Robbins Ave., Pittsfield. Facilitated by Berkshire United Way.
 
Disability, Oct. 28: United Cerebraly Palsy of Western Mass, Berkshire Family and Individual Resources, and a representative from Nonotuck Resource Associates in North Adams. Held at the BFAIR main office, 771 South Church St., North Adams. Facilitated by Northern Berkshire United Way.
 
Redlining & Racism, Nov. 11: Frances Jones-Sneed, professor emeritus of history and political science at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, MCLA and representatives from NAACP Berkshires. Held in the Community Empowerment Center at Greylock Federal Credit Union, 75 Kellogg St., Pittsfield. Facilitated by Berkshire United Way.
 
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