North Adams Share the Love Campaign Surpasses Fundraising Goal

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — First Congregational Church of North Adams' fourth annual "Share the Love" campaign concluded with over $9,000 raised to support local organizations serving individuals in need.

"Share the Love is catching on; people are familiar with it and wish to support the organizations that we have identified," Lois Daunis of the the church's Missions Team said. 

The initiative raised more than $6,000, primarily from North County residents, with additional contributions from church members as far away as Indiana.

The campaign's initial goal was set at $5,000, with a planned 50 percent matching contribution from the church's Missions budget. Because the community exceeded the fundraising goal, the church was able to distribute a total of $9,075.

Each of the designated beneficiary organizations — Berkshire Food Project, Louison House, and Greenagers at Many Forks Farm — received unrestricted gifts of $3,025.

Representatives from the beneficiary organizations received their donations at a presentation held at the church on Friday afternoon.

Daunis said a key factor in this year's success was the implementation of new fundraising strategies and increased participation.

"We tried additional strategies. We did some on-site fundraising. Plus, I think we have more people on missions, so there are just more people to get the word out," she said.

The fundraising efforts included direct solicitation events organized by Heidi Peterson, with events held at Stop & Shop and at Aubuchon in Williamstown. Additionally, a raffle was conducted, featuring contributions from 18 local businesses and 60 individuals contributed to the campaign.

Participating businesses included: Aubuchon, Big Y, Clark Art Institute, Berkshire Emporium, Freight Yard Pub, Images, Limited Editions, M&J's Taste of Home, Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, Meraki Salon, Nature's Closet, Plant Connector, Provisions, Public, Roam, Stop & Shop, Unlimited Nutrition, Where'd You Get That, Wild Oats, and the Williams Shop.

Daunis emphasized the increasing need for support within the community.

"There's more food and housing insecurity right now than there was in the last three years, and certainly, you know, with the SNAP and WIC cuts coming, I imagine Berkshire Food Project, Louison House, and the pantry are going to get hit harder with folks in need," she said. "Certainly, Louison House and Berkshire Food Project have seen an increase in their numbers."

Daunis added that Greenagers and Many Forks Farm are new beneficiaries of the program.  

"We just wanted to identify a youth-serving organization in Northern Berkshires that's doing good things. And Many Forks Farm, they provide [food] shares," she said.

Clarksburg Looking to AG's Receivership Program to Help With Distressed Properties

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
05:34AM / Tuesday, July 21, 2026

 

CLARKSBURG, Mass. — The town is looking to move two properties into receivership to get them cleaned up and back on the tax rolls. 

 

Health Agent Valerie Bird has raised the idea last month when a Daniels Road property was ordered vacated for multiple code violations. Bird and the Select Board didn't believe the owner had the capacity to address the myriad issues. 

 

Bird recommended the Attorney General's receivership program, which takes blighted property and, through the court system, gets it into the hands of a developer who can rejuvenate it. 

 

Maja Kazmierczak, assistant attorney general with the Neighborhood Renewal Division, offered a virtual presentation to the board on Monday, explaining the program and how it might be able to help Clarksburg. 

 

"We've partnered with over 170 municipalities, and we definitely have over probably about 215 active properties that we're working on," she said. "We've had just about $715,000 in back taxes returned to municipalities through our program."

 

The program has been around for 30 years in various forms, with the goal to turn abandoned and blighted properties that have code violations into safe housing. 

 

The state's receivership statute allows the court to appoint a receiver to a property if there are code violations and there is no one to repair them.