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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Northern Berkshire United Way: War and Peace

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
Northern Berkshire United Way is celebrating its 90th anniversary this year. Each month, we will take a look back at the agency's milestones over the decades. This first part looks at its successes and challenges during the war years.
 

The Community Chest started the decade on the upswing but ended with a decline in fundraising. A bright spot was its establishment of new agencies to help the citizens of North Adams and Clarksburg. 
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The North Adams Community Chest ended its first decade on an upswing, even as the clouds were darkening over Europe.
 
But what goes up, must eventually come down. 
 
The 1940 campaign drive again set a goal of $39,600 and volunteers toted up $23,000 at the first meeting.
 
James Hunter Machine was the first to attain 100 percent enrollment with annual gift of $6.13 per person for a total of $1,275. Some 200 businesses and organizations hit their red feather level of 100 percent, including all of the schools as well as State Teachers College. 
 
The litany of businesses and organizations included long-gone establishments such as Simmons Funeral Home, Spofford Motors, McCann Ice Cream Co., C.H. Cutting, West End Market, Apothecary Hall, Florini's Italian Garden, and Pizzi's, along with still existing enterprises like Whitney's Beverage Shop, Cascade Paper and Mount Williams Greenhouse.
 
The now annual dinner was served by the Ladies Aid Society of First Congregational at the YMCA, and attendees were entertained by singers from the Advent Christian Church, directed by the Rev. Martin Ball and accompanied by his wife on the piano. "Assisting in useful capacities" were YMCA junior members Howard Goodermote, Roy Modlinger, Fred Myers, Norman Remillard, George Grenier, Wallace Konopka and Anthony Pessolano.
 
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