image description — Representatives from the beneficiary organizations receive their donations at a presentation held at First Congregational Church om Friday afternoon.

North Adams Share the Love Campaign Surpasses Fundraising Goal

By Jack GuerinoiBerkshires Staff
12:30PM / Monday, March 24, 2025Print Story | Email Story

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.

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North Adams Airport Hires New Manager

By Jack GuerinoiBerkshires Staff
10:30AM / Saturday, October 24, 2026

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The Airport Commission unanimously voted this week to hire Skyler Friedman as the new airport manager.

The vote came after a brief interview Tuesday. Although two candidates were scheduled to be interviewed, only Friedman was in attendance.

In total, there were four resumes that a subcommittee knocked down to two finalists.

"All were qualified," Commissioner William Hooper said. "One was less qualified, two were equally qualified, and one was a step above. The two you have this evening were the two determined to be the most qualified."

The commission planned on interviewing both candidates, but only interviewed Friedman. Although the second candidate indicated she would be present remotely for the interview, she never called in.

Friedman was the manager from June until September through the city's contract with Hewison Aviation, a New York-based flight school operating in North Adams. The company provided management services to the city but decided to end this arrangement in the fall.

The commission faced losing Friedman as manager and urged him to apply when they advertised the position.

Friedman spoke about communication, noting he suspected it would be easier as an employee of the city. He also spoke about larger projects at the airport he would like to follow through on, including the creation of a flying club. He said he wants more people at the airport and interested in aviation.

He was asked if he planned to leave the position in the near future for other opportunities.

"I would not be here now if that were my goal," he answered.

He added that the area does not have a Certified Flight Instructor (CFI), a position he hopes to fill. He said he hopes to "merge his interests" as the manager and a CFI, eventually relocating permanently to North Adams instead of commuting from Albany.

Otherwise, he said there will be no disruptions, as he has already done the job. Instead of learning a new position, he said he is ready to tackle projects he had to step away from when the contract ran out.

"The past five months have been that process, and I will pick up where I left off," he said. "I stumbled upon things in the interim, and there will be no transition."

In other business, the Airport Commission saw another response to the proposed restaurant RFP. Only one organization responded: East Fork Bread.

Although there was some back-and-forth between the RFP subcommittee and the bread makers, the subcommittee ultimately could not recommend their proposal as it did not fit their requirements.

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