Market 32 and Price Chopper Launch Drive to Support Local Food Pantries

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — As schools break for summer and access to daily meal programs pause, many families can face a critical gap in reliable nutrition. 
 
To help meet these needs, Market 32 and Price Chopper are launching a summer food drive in all 129 stores across its six-state footprint.
 
From June 15 to July 5, customers can purchase a $10 bag containing PICS brand items that will be donated to a local food pantry. Each bag includes items food banks and pantries need the most, including a 16-ounce package of elbow macaroni, 16-ounce jar of peanut butter, a 10.5-ounce can of chicken noodle soup, 5-ounce can of tuna, 15.5-ounce can of kidney beans, and a 5-ounce can of chunk chicken.
 
Each Market 32 and Price Chopper store team will identify and coordinate directly with a local food pantry in their community that will receive the donated food, allowing shoppers to make an immediate impact and help pantries serve people right in their neighborhoods. The bags will be prominently displayed at the front of each store, accompanied by signage indicating the name of the pantry being supported.
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Colombian Artist Celebrates Immigrant Stories in New Pittsfield Mural

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff

Artist Laura Barrios explains the  inspiration of the mural, of immigrants building new lives in the Berkshires.
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The walls along the Intermodal Center's train platform are a little more colorful following the unveiling of Let It Shine's third mural at that location, transforming a space once surrounded by bare concrete into a vibrant display of public art.
 
The unveiling on Thursday, marks the close of Let It Shine's 2026 outdoor public art season and the third year of its emerging artist program, said Mill Town Foundation Program Director Andy Wrba. 
 
Let It Shine's Emerging Artists Mentorship program was established in 2024 to support aspiring artists in the community by providing guidance, hands-on experiences, and opportunities to create large-scale public art.
 
"This mural, along with all the murals, as part of this emerging artist program, and even more broadly, all the murals that you see downtown throughout Pittsfield shows that we care about the cultural scene and we care about the creative people that live and work in our city," Wrba said.
 
The new mural, painted by Colombian artist Laura Barrios, celebrates immigrants who have built lives and found a sense of home in Berkshire County.
 
Barrios has been working on the piece for the last two months alongside mentor artist, Jesse Tobin McCauley. 
 
"It's a homage to the immigrants who work and make a home in the Berkshires … this is a very personal experience too because I am an immigrant," Barrios said in her speech.
 
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