Berkshire Money Management Donates $25K in Food to Thanksgiving Angels

Harris puts in manual labor to bring the produce and other foods into South Congregational Church.

 

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — About 1,600 local families will have turkey day feasts on the table thanks to a collaboration between Berkshire Money Management and the Thanksgiving Angels.

On Friday, BMM presented the organization with a big $25,000 check, doubling its fundraising efforts during a year of increased need. The funds are a match to what the organization was able to gather.

"The Thanksgiving Angels needed roughly $50,000 this year to supply the amount of food for people who are in need this year, and I figured it would be really hard for them to do it this year because it's going to be harder to attain that food because of food prices, and that's going to reduce people's disposable income," founder and CEO Allen Harris said.

"So we thought that what we do is approach the Thanksgiving Angels since and say, 'we'll donate $25,000 as a matching campaign, what we would like to do is keep as much as we can of that local, so if you can match it $25,000, I'll give this $25,000 and Wohrle's will supply that food.'"

Thanksgiving Angels is a joint effort between more than 20 food pantries, organizations, and faith communities that provide turkeys and all of the sides to residents in need.

The food was sourced from Wohrle's, filling up two whole box trucks. Volunteers were buzzing around the South Congregational Church's supply room, unloading the mass quantities of carrots, onions, potatoes, squash, and more.

Program coordinator Mary Wheat was astonished by the amount of food that was coming in. Wheat also runs the church's regular food pantry.

"It's a very very generous donation," she said, "It made it possible for 1,600 families to have a nutritious Thanksgiving."

Pittsfield Remembers Lives Lost to Overdose, Underscores Harm Reduction

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
05:33AM / Tuesday, September 01, 2026

Mayor Peter Marchetti reads a proclamation at City Hall encouraging residents to raise awareness and lift each other up. 

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Dozens of people gathered downtown on Monday to remember those lost to overdose and work toward a future of zero deaths from substance use disorder. 

The Berkshire Overdose and Addiction Prevention Collaborative and its partners held a proclamation reading and flag-raising at City Hall, followed by a standout in Park Square with signs promoting the use of naloxone, harm reduction, and reducing associated stigma. 

There were 23 fatal overdoses in Berkshire County in 2025, 11 in Pittsfield. This is down 44 percent from the 41 countywide fatalities in 2024. 

While it is a significant decrease, advocates want to see that number at zero. 

"On the one hand, we're very pleased to see this significant of a decrease. This is actually the lowest number that we've had since [Department of Public Health] started collecting these numbers in 2013, but the goal is still zero," said Andy Ottoson, public health planner with the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission. 

August is International Overdose Awareness Month, the world's largest annual campaign to end overdose, remember those lost without stigma, and acknowledge the grief of families and friends left behind. September is National Recovery Month, a national observance to educate the public on the importance of substance use treatment and mental health services.

Samantha Kendall of Berkshire Harm Reduction explained that it is truly meeting people where they are, as they are, and when they are, "and I think we all do a really great job at that."

"We also want to remember that we're building a community for everybody, and systems and policies for everybody. That's really important in harm reduction work, so that's also the reason we're here today," she said.