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BFAIR clients and employees deliver donated supplies to the Veterans Services Office in North Adams.
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Donations included hygiene products, towels, and food, among other things.
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Members of the BFAIR community not only made donations, but made the delivery.
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Neep and Samson were both in awe of how much BFAIR donated.
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The donations were delivered Friday.

BFAIR Supports North County Veterans With Donations

Jack GuerinoiBerkshires Staff
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Donations were made through the month of August.
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — BFAIR's Community Based Day Support (CBDS) program made a special delivery to City Hall on Friday and helped stock the Veterans Services Office's food pantry.
 
"I am totally overwhelmed. I was in awe when they said they were going to do this," said Tina Samson, office's administrative assistant. "BFAIR, they help in the community. This is wonderful, and this is always needed. 100 percent." 
 
Kris Neep, director of the day program, said she saw one of Samson's call for donations posts on Facebook. She quickly got the BFAIR (Berkshire Family and Individual Resources) community behind the cause. 
 
"We got all of our offices involved," she said. "I think this is great and says a lot about our community. Just look at all the stuff we got? We just like to give back."
 
BFAIR clients and employees heeded the call, donating hygienic supplies, non-perishable foods, and other items needed for the pantry during the August collection drive.
 
"There is everything in these bags, and people were very generous, especially nowadays when prices are so high," Neep said.   
 
While she didn't have an exact count of donations, the donations filled the back of the van used for transport. She said everything was organized for easy storage.
 
CBDS employees and clients offloaded the supplies with the help of some veterans.

Tags: BFAIR,   veterans services,   

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Court Briefs: Contractor Guilty of Tax Fraud, Windsor Man Sentenced for Threats

Windsor Man Sentenced in Threat Case
 
A Windsor man was sentenced Wednesday in federal court in Springfield for making online threats and extortionate demands.
 
Michael Andrew Rodgers, 32, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Mark G. Mastroianni to 15 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. In November 2025, Rodgers pleaded guilty to one count of threatening interstate communications and one count of extortionate interstate communications. Rodgers was arrested and charged in September 2024.
 
On April 5, 2023, Rodgers posted a threat on the Google review page of a Springfield medical practice that stated: "They gonna get what's coming soon. […] Will be there in the morning to get them myself one way or another. Locked and loaded." Beneath this text, Rodgers included an image of a hand holding a gun.
 
On April 6, 2024, Rodgers submitted a threat through a fraud reporting website for the Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General with the intent to extort Social Security disability benefits. 
 
Specifically, Rodgers stated: "I m gonna start taking what I need. By any means nessacary. […] GIVE ME MY MONEY OR IM GONNA START DROPPING PEOPLE.  YOULL NEVER FIND MY WEAPONS SO STOP LOOKING AND GIVE ME MY CHECK.  […]  NEXT TIME I SLICE SOMETHING OPEN. IT WONT BE ME. ITLL BE ONE OF YOUR CHILDREN ILL MERC A WHOLE SCHOOL AND NOT GIVE A F***. […] SO YOULL BE MY FIRST TARGET IF YOU KEEP REFUSING TO HELP ME."
 
Windsor, State and Springfield Police assisted federal authorities in the investigation. 
 
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