image description — Emergency responders and volunteers set up for last year's toy drive at Walmart. They will be at the store again on Saturday for the 2025 toy drive.

North Adams Emergency Services Collecting Toys for Local Children

Staff Reports 01:48PM / Friday, November 21, 2025Print Story | Email Story

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — If you see emergency vehicles at Walmart on Saturday — give them a toy.

The annual Emergency Service Toy Drive will be accepting new, unwrapped toys for needy families from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday.

The emergency responders will be set up near the Walmart entrance and will be accepting suitable toys for ages zero to 12 like board games, dolls and action figures, building blocks, art supplies and sports equipment.

Toys can also be dropped off until Dec. 11 at the police station, fire station, ambulance station and Bright Ideas Brewery. Monetary donations can be dropped off at the police station to MaryAnn King's attention.

The city's Police and Fire Departments and Northern Berkshire EMS have been running the drive for about decade now.

But organizer King said this year the need is greater than ever. The drive already has 62 families and more than 120 children signed up.

"It seems likes it's going to be a tough year and we want to make sure everybody gets something," said King.

Families and children are mostly identified through the Berkshire Community Action Council; volunteers, including from Berkshire Family and Individual Resources, help organize the toys by age and wrap them up for distribution in December.

All of the donations will be given out to children in the community.

Tags: Christmas story, emergency services, toys,

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North Adams Council Gets Update on Opioid Collaborative Actions

By Tammy Daniels iBerkshires Staff
12:05PM / Friday, September 25, 2026

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The City Council got an update from the Berkshire Overdose and Addiction Prevention Collaborative on Tuesday.

Andy Ottoson and Anna Youngman, of the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission, spoke about the Into the Light Project and other work being undertaken by the collaborative.

"The HEAL (Helping to End Addiction Long-term) Coalition, with funding from the city and from [Berkshire Health Systems], brought the Into the Light Project to our area to reduce stigma, encourage compassion, and promote dialog, inviting viewers to advocate for improved treatment access and respectful disruptions around addiction," said Youngman, North County HEAL Coalition community coordinator.

The exhibit of artist illustrations and narratives of those lost to overdose, including residents of North Berkshire, was displayed at Hotel Downstreet earlier this year; partial versions of the exhibit are now being displayed in municipal buildings, including City Hall and Adams Town Hall.

Youngman said about 1,000 people from seven states viewed the exhibit and that the "feedback from the project was exceptional." The exhibit is the brainchild of nonprofit's founder and artist Theresa Clower who has put on nearly two dozen installations around the country.

"We extend our deepest gratitude to the local families who shared the stories of their loved ones with us throughout this project by allowing us to see the whole person, their joys, their talents, and their dreams," said Youngman. "These families have helped break down stigma and remind us that every life matters."

She continued that the number of outreach specialists has doubled to 12 and that the collaborative is doing a needs assessment to determine the most crucial needs and create a strategic plan for use of the opioid settlement funds.

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