PITTSFIELD, Mass. – The Berkshire Running Foundation is eager to kick off the fundraising efforts surrounding the 9th annual MountainOne Thankful 5K to be held on Thanksgiving morning, Nov. 28 at 9 a.m. at Berkshire Community College.
This year the Thankful 5K expands to include walkers, virtual participants and a new training program for the community.
The annual event is a fundraiser hosted by the Foundation to raise much needed funds for the South Community Food Pantry and the local Fuel Assistance Fund.
The first 500 participants who register for the event receive a Thankful hat, with all the proceeds going to the designated causes. More than 400 participants registered for the 2023 event and race producers are hoping to surpass that number this year.
Each participant also has the option to create an individual or team fundraising page to raise even more money that will immediately go to help fight food insecurity here in our community. Prizes will go to those individuals and teams that raise the most in their fundraising efforts.
“We are thrilled to be hosting this holiday tradition again with the support of MountainOne,” Berkshire Running Executive Director Shiobbean Lemme said. “Our mission is to improve the neighborhoods in which we live through our running events. This specific 5K has become quite the family tradition for so many in the Berkshires and beyond. It is a great way to be able to provide for those in need on a day where many of us have more than most. We have implemented free student entry to all our events for grades K-12. This makes these events wallet friendly for families to participate in together. “
Walkers are encouraged to join all the Berkshire Running Foundation 5K events as well. In addition to the in-person event, this year participants can also register to run or walk their 5K virtually, submitting results and receiving their own Thankful hats along with their registrations.
Berkshire Running Center will also be hosting a training program for the Thankful 5K. Sunday mornings, there will be a two-part session which includes an instruction based 45-minute walk or run led by race directors Kent and Shiobbean Lemme to be followed by a 45-minute stretch yoga session. The training is free for Berkshire Running Center members or for $10 as a drop in rate. Participants who attend four of the six sessions will receive a $25 gift card. Registration in online at www.berkshirerunningcenter.com/classes or contact info@berkshirerunningcenter.com
Participants are also encouraged to bring nonperishable food items to bib pick up, to the race start the morning of the event or are invited to drop off donations to the Berkshire Running Center located in the Allendale Shopping Center Underground, 5 Cheshire Road in Pittsfield.
Last year more than 3,000 lbs of food was donated to the food pantry on the Monday following the race.
“As impressive of a donation of the food was as a volunteer at the pantry, I was aware that it was all gone within the week,” Lemme said. “There is an increasing crisis of food insecurity growing in the community and we are excited to help make a dent in that need.”
Registration can be found online at berkshirerun.org for the event and the Foundation is always looking for sponsors and volunteers to help keep these events happening in the Berkshires.
Contact Shiobbean Lemme at director@berkshirerun.org.
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.
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ADOPTED! Companion Corner: Cali and Kyzer at Berkshire Humane Society
By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
Great news, Kyzer and Cali found a home for Christmas already! Still looking for a new friend for the holidays? There are plenty of dogs and cats and small animals at Berkshire Humane who would love to go home with you.
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — There's a bonded dog pair awaiting a new family at the Berkshire Humane Society.
Kyzer and Cali are both poodles. Kyzer is the male and is 7 years old, a quite a bit bigger than his sister Cali, who is a miniature of Kyzer and 8 years old.
Canine adoption counselor Rhonda Cyr introduced us to the two.
"They came from a household that couldn't hold on to them, and it sounds like they may have been abandoned by their previous owner with somebody else, and so they came to us looking for a new home," she said.
The two love to be around you and snuggle. But both are very happy dogs.
"Kyzer is 7 years old, and his personality is that he kind of wants to be in everything. He's very loving, very snuggly, as you can tell. And Callie here, she's 8 years old, and she is kind of like the life of the party," said Cyr. "She wants to tell you everything about her day, and she's a little bit of a little ham."
The two are considered seniors and really like soft treats as Cali just had a few teeth removed and Kyzer has a tooth procedure coming up.
"Currently, they really like soft treats, because they are both on the senior side of things. So they have had some dental work, so they are really in need of something softer. They are not big chewers at this age, really, their main focus right now is just really socializing and cuddling," Cyr said.
The two would love a quiet home with someone who wants to snuggle. They shouldn't go to a home with bigger dogs but if you have a dog, you can bring them in for a visitation with the poodles to see if they will get along. Cats will be fine and the preference is for older and more responsible children so that the pups don't get hurt, as they are senior citizens.
"The perfect home for them would be a quiet home that's not too active. Like I said, they're very social, so they could handle some visitors," she said. "They're very friendly, but I don't think that they would really enjoy any other dogs in the home."
Poodles need to be regularly groomed, and the prospective adopter will have to keep an eye on their health. Kyzer has a heart murmur that needs to be monitored. This doesn't mean he is in bad health, as he could live a perfectly normal life, but he will need to be checked by a veterinary specialist routinely.
"Ideally, he would go to a home that could provide further health care with a specialist in cardiac care. And you know, he could very well live out the rest of his life comfortably and happy," Cyr said. "We just don't have all that information at the moment, but I think that you know the way he's going right now. He's got a good spirit, and he seems to be pretty happy."
The shelter is hoping the to get them a home for the holidays.
"We would love to get them a home in time for the holidays. They've been here since the eighth of November, and they're really, really looking as much as the staff loves them here, we're really looking to get them into a home and somewhere nice and cozy so they can spend the rest of their life together," she said.
Kyzer and Cali are both poodles. Kyzer is the male and is 7 years old, and a little bigger than his sister Cali, who is a miniature of Kyzer and 8 years old.
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A 700-square-foot outdoor water attraction is planned for the 2.1-acre park at 30 John Street. City officials hope to have it operational by summertime.
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Jewish Federation of the Berkshires President Arlene Schiff opened the festivities with a recognition of the victims of Sunday's mass shooting in Australia and praise for a hero who helped stop the killing.
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