Otto's Farm Stand Donates $470 to Local Charities, Public Media

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Otto and Bea donated $182 to the Berkshire Food Project and to Louison House; the balance of the $470 in donations was split between WAMC and PBS.
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Otto's Farm Stand, a farm stand owned and operated by 8-year-old Otto Lamb and his 4-year-old sister Bea, has donated 50 percent of their sales from the 2025 season to two local organizations.
 
The $470 in donations were made to Berkshire Food Project and Louison House and two regional public media outlets, National Public Radio station WAMC and New England Public Media/PBS.
 
The micro-enterprise farm stand has been in operation since 2022. It offers home-grown produce, flowers, and periodic kid-made crafts for purchase. 
 
Operating on an honor system of "pay what you can, but take what you need," Otto launched the stand because of a desire to provide food for people who need it. As part of its model, Otto's Farm Stand commits to donating half of its annual sales to a charitable cause of Otto and Bea's choosing each year. To date, they have donated more than $1,100 to local causes, including Williamstown Community Preschool, the Northern Berkshire Community Coalition, and Berkshire Agriculture Ventures. 
 
This year, Otto and Bea decided they wanted to give their proceeds to two organizations that help people who need food and housing, and also held a two-day lemonade stand specifically to raise money for WAMC and the Public Broadcasting Service in light of federal budget cuts. 
 
This set of donations would not have been possible without the steadfast patronage and support of an amazing community, who purchase produce and flowers from the stand, said their father, Benjamin Lamb, a case study in that a good deed of supporting local small businesses can have a ripple effect across a broader community. 

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North Adams Airport Welcomes Flight School

By Jack GuerinoiBerkshires Staff
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Hewison Aviation operations manager Maura Hewison told the Airport Commission on Tuesday that the company plans to bring a flight school to North Adams.
 
"We have great things that we are going to be unveiling in the coming months," Hewison said. "You will see people in the airport and in classes. It will liven up the airport and bring a lot of joy."
 
The flight school has three locations in New York state; the North Adams operation will be its fourth. It offers private and commercial pilot training, as well as discovery flights, among other services.
 
Hewison was standing in for Airport Manager Andrew Franklin. Hewison Aviation is the manager of the North Adams airport, and Franklin is an employee of the firm.
 
Hewison said the company worked throughout the winter to establish a presence at Harriman and West. Now that the snow has melted, its presence will become much more visible.
 
"I am looking forward to sprucing up the place," she said. "I want it to be a welcoming environment, and I want people to be happy when they walk into the airport."
 
She said the airport has a lot of potential, especially with the possibility of a restaurant.
 
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