BCC Foundation Awarded Stop & Shop Gift Cards to Stock Campus Pantry

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Berkshire Community College (BCC) Foundation is the recipient of a donation of $7,500 in Stop & Shop gift cards as part of the grocery's School Food Pantry Program. 
 
The funding commitment for 2026, equal to the donation awarded in 2025, will continue to support the purchase of items to stock BCC's pantry, known as the Campus Cupboard, helping to ensure students have access to healthy foods.? 
 
"We are so incredibly grateful to Stop & Shop for their continued generosity," said Meghan Donnelly, BCC Essential Needs Coordinator – Community/Outreach Counselor. "Access to food and essential supplies is a critical part of the health and well-being of our students. Back in October, Stop & Shop donated an abundance of fresh and frozen food items for the inauguration of our brand-new refrigerator-freezers. These units were purchased through a generous grant provided to the Campus Cupboard from the Food Bank of Western MA. We depend on the immense support of our donors and community partners to keep the Campus Cupboard abundantly stocked." 
 
The Campus Cupboard is a resource for current students, faculty and staff who need assistance meeting their food needs. It offers a variety of fresh, frozen and canned goods, proteins and grain options, including items for those with dietary restrictions, as well as toiletries and household products. It also offers a variety of services, including SNAP assistance and additional workshop/programming opportunities. The Campus Cupboard partners with the Berkshire Community Diaper Project to provide diapers and wipes for students who may need help obtaining them for their children.  
 
For more information, or to make a donation to the Campus Cupboard, contact Meghan Donnelly at mdonnelly@berkshirecc.edu.  

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WWII Veteran Reflects on D-Day at VFW Post Induction

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff

The members in the picture are Bret Miller, Coast Guard, Desert Storm; Hank Morris, Army, Vietnam; Brad Havill, Navy, Global War on Terror; VFW Post 448 Vice Cmdr. Mark Pompi, Army, Global War on Terrorism, Afghanistan; Post Cmdr. Arnold Perras, Korea; Joe Difillipo, Army, Vietnam; Teri Billington, Navy, Desert Storm; and Carmen Ostrander, Air Force, Afghanistan.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Anthony Salatino Jr. says his memory is getting a little foggy about his time in the Army. 

But he remembers how terrible D-Day was, and feeling lucky he wasn't among those in the initial invasion force 82 years ago. 
 
"One of the most horrible things was in Normandy. We went shortly after D-Day. I got lucky, very lucky on D-Day. We went to a staging area the night before … and at the very end, somebody called, I was in headquarters, they called all the headquarters personnel at the center," the 103-year-old said. "We did not go. There's about 30 of us. The rest of the battalion was gone, and the reason for that was because there was another battalion coming from the States, and they had no headquarters. 
 
"We stayed back, but we did go to Normandy shortly after that, and when we went to Normandy, it was all over."
 
Salatino was attending an induction ceremony on Thursday at the Lt. John N. Truden VFW Post 448. Joseph Texidor, who served in the Army for 17 years with tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, was sworn in as the post's newest member. 
 
Salatino served in the Medical Corps and wanted to follow in the footsteps of his father, a World War I veteran wounded at Verdun. Salatino was in the Army for about three years.
 
"The whole memory is what I just told you, very, very alive to me," he said. "That is, I can never forget, never forget that."
 
D-Day on June 6, 1944, was the start of Operation Overlord, and the largest invading force to cross the English Channel since 1066. Their goal: to liberate Europe from Nazi Germany. 
 
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