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 Students Taste Test for Input on Lunches

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff

Chef Kyle Zegel talks to the children about the food they will be trying on Friday. He will be bringing recipes each month for them to try.
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Pupils at Brayton Elementary got to taste test a new side dish as chef Kyle Zegel passed out cups cider-glazed carrots on Friday for the children to try. 
 
Zegel, a food literacy facilitator, said his goal is teach children about farms and how to grow food, and to have a deeper relationship with their food system.
 
"There's this increasing separation between the natural world and ourselves, and there's this increasing separation between the food system and ourselves," he said. "And we really see that with our students, and with the increasing prevalence of technology and ways that just separate us from interacting with how our food grows. ...
 
"I think it's just really important to make sure that we're giving students accessible opportunities for experiential learning."
 
Zegel will be highlighting a "Harvest of the Month" in the North Adams Public Schools through the Massachusetts Farm to School program.
 
The district last year received a state-funded MA FRESH (Farming Reinforces Education and Student Health) grant toward scratch cooking with more local ingredients. A little less than $7,000 of the $30,000 grant the district received in December will go to Harvest of the Month program.
 
Director of Food Services Thomas Lark said it was important to connect the children to food that is grown locally. The district is sourcing through Marty's Local in Deerfield.
 
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