image description — Volunteers pack up care packages in Home Depot buckets at the Home Depot store in Pittsfield. The buckets will be distributed by the Christian Center.

Home Depot, Christian Center Distribute 300 Winter Care Packages

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
04:27PM / Wednesday, December 08, 2021Print Story | Email Story

The donations from Home Depot and local retailers is worth about $12,000. Some 300 buckets were filled by around 40 volunteers.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The hallmark orange Home Depot buckets will take on a new meaning for those in need this holiday season.

The Christian Center and the Home Depot Foundation joined forces to donate more than 300 of the distinctive buckets containing winter clothing and personal hygiene items to local veterans and homeless individuals.

On Sunday, an assembly line of around 40 volunteers stocked the care packages at Pittsfield's Home Depot. They will stay within the county, which currently has about 1,000 people without shelter.

Supplies such as socks, hats, gloves, and coats are vital for the cold months. The items were donated by local retailers and will go to the Christian Center for distribution and are valued at about $12,000.

This project is part of the hardware retailer's Operation Surprise campaign focused on giving back.

"Our district, we like every store to try to get one project a quarter, right now we have going on what we call our Operation Surprise, so every year between Veterans Day and the end of the year, we have every store to either donate money or do a project for the community," Home Depot spokesman Andy Shaw said.

"Ideally it would be veterans or any community organization we partner with, so we'll do hundreds across the company this year, we actually donated recently $1,000 to Soldier On and this project is about $12,000."

Shaw added that the monetary donation is on top of the team who contributed a couple of hours to make it happen.

Home Depot employs more than 35,000 veterans and military spouses across the country. The Home Depot Foundation has contributed $400 million for veterans' causes since 2011 and renovated more than 50,000 veterans' homes and facilities.

The Christian Center has been one of the leading local organizations in addressing homelessness. In February, it debuted a warming shelter that offers housing-insecure folks a place to stay in the hours that ServiceNet's shelter at the former St. Joseph's High School is closed.

Tags: donations, good news, holiday story,

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Pittsfield Holiday Inn Closure Continues; Layoffs Reported

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
05:24AM / Thursday, October 29, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — More than a month after the Holiday Inn & Suites abruptly closed its doors, reports have emerged of employee layoffs.

The hotel has been closed since Sept. 25, when the last of its three elevators broke down. The 101 Restaurant & Bar, located inside the hotel, has also been a casualty of the closure, temporarily shutting its doors while repairs are underway.

Now, The Berkshire Eagle reports that 20 hotel employees across all departments have been laid off and it remains unknown when the hotel will reopen amidst ongoing issues with the building. The Holiday Inn & Suites declined to comment to iBerkshires' inquiries.

According to The Eagle, hotel facilities manager Pete Leidt said approximately five employees remain on staff and expressed hope that those who were laid off could return when the hotel reopens.

When the elevator stopped working, emergency medical technicians and firefighters assisted more than half a dozen people with mobility disabilities down the stairs, Building Commissioner Rian Dowd previously told iBerkshires.

"So with the no working elevators, we shut the building down," she said.

The central downtown, 12-story hotel has nearly 180 guest rooms. Massachusetts requires public multi-level buildings and facilities to have elevator access.

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