Market 32, Price Chopper Launch Fill a Glass with Hope Campaign

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SCHENECTADY, N.Y.— Market 32 and Price Chopper have partnered with the American Dairy Association North East, Garelick Farms, and local food banks to launch their annual Fill a Glass with Hope/Fill a Plate with Promise campaign.

The initiative will run from May 1 to June 30. Customers are invited to round up their change at checkout to support local food banks in purchasing fresh milk and other nutritious food for families experiencing food insecurity.

The 2025 campaign marks a decade of this partnership, during which over one million servings of milk have been donated to local families in need.

Pam Cerrone, director of community relations for Market 32 and Price Chopper, stated that milk is a highly requested but infrequently donated item to food banks. She emphasized the campaign's role in providing essential nutrition to community members.

The campaign addresses the issue of food insecurity, which is particularly challenging during the summer months when children lose access to school meal programs.

Audrey Donahoe, board president of American Dairy Association North East and a dairy farmer at ATRASS Farm in Clayville, N.Y., highlighted the dairy industry's commitment to providing nutritious milk to families.

The campaign's current message encourages customers to contribute any amount to help reach the next million servings donated. By rounding up their change at checkout, shoppers can support their neighbors facing food insecurity.

 

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Pittsfield School Committee Votes to Close Morningside

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — There were tears as the School Committee on Wednesday voted to close Morningside Community School at the end of the school year. 

Interim Superintendent Latifah Phillips said the purpose of considering the closure is to fulfill the district's obligation to ensure every student has access to a learning environment that best supports academic growth and achievement, school climate, equitable access to resources, and long-term success. 

"While fiscal implications are included, the7 closure of the school is fundamentally driven by the student performance, their learning conditions, the building inadequacy, and equitable student access, rather than the district's budget," she said. 

"…The goal is not to save money. The goal is to reinvest that money to make change, specifically for our Morningside students, and then for the whole school building, as a whole." 

Over the last month or so, the district has considered whether to retire the open concept, community school at the end of the school year. 

Morningside, built in the 1970s, currently serves 374 students in grades prekindergarten through Grade 5, including a student population with 88.2 percent high-needs, 80.5 percent low-income, and 24.3 percent English learners.  Its students will be reassigned to Allendale, Capeless, Egremont, and Williams elementary schools.

The school is designated as "Requiring Assistance or Intervention," with a 2025 accountability percentile of seventh, despite moderate progress over the past three years, and benchmark data continues to show urgent literacy concerns in several grades. 

School Committee member and former Morningside student Sarah Muil, through tears, made the motion to approve the school's retirement at the end of this school year.  

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