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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Possible Measles Exposure at Boston, Logan

12:05PM / Wednesday, December 24, 2025

BOSTON — The Massachusetts Department of Public Health confirmed Wednesday that an out-of-state adult visitor who spent time in Boston and Westborough earlier this month was diagnosed with measles and was present in a number of locations.

This could have resulted in other people being exposed to measles virus.

The visitor arrived at Logan International Airport on American Airlines flight 2384 from Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, on Dec. 11 at 2:39 p.m. They stayed at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Boston-Westborough in Westborough and departed the state on Dec. 12 via Logan at 9:19 p.m. on JetBlue flight 117 to Las Vegas.

DPH is working with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and local partners to identify and notify those who may have been exposed to measles from this individual.

"Measles is a highly contagious, airborne disease, which has increased significantly in the United States because of the unfortunate decrease in vaccination rates. It is also a preventable disease," said Public Health Commissioner Dr. Robbie Goldstein. "This current situation serves as an important reminder of the critical role vaccination plays in protecting our communities. While Massachusetts has not had a measles case this year, 2025 saw the highest number of nationwide cases in more than a decade — nearly 2,000 in 44 jurisdictions, and sadly, three deaths.

"Fifteen years ago, measles had been considered eliminated in the United States, but that tremendous progress is at risk. Vaccines are one of the most important public health interventions ever — they are safe, effective, and lifesaving."

Measles is very contagious. However, the risk to most people in Massachusetts is low because the vaccination rate in the state is high. People who are not immune and visited any of the locations on the following dates and times may be at risk for developing measles.

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