BFAIR Purchases Mass Ave. Property to Support Growth of Redemption Center

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NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — BFAIR announced the purchase of the building located at 1000 Massachusetts Avenue home to the BFAIR Bottle and Can Redemption Center, effective Jan. 9, 2026. 
 
After several years of managing the Bottle and Can Redemption Center, BFAIR officially acquired the business in July 2019. The recent purchase of the building allows BFAIR to plan for long-term growth and expansion in response to a significant increase in the volume of redeemable bottles and cans being processed, stated a press release. 
 
"This purchase gives us the opportunity to expand the space to better meet growing demand," said Laura Baran, senior director of CBDS and Employment Services. "The increase is driven by more customers, additional pop-up and pick-up locations through our service van—sponsored by Adams Community Bank—and a rise in community bottle drives." 
 
With the ability to expand the building, BFAIR will be able to add workspace and purchase a second bottle and can counting machine, made possible through support from the Berkshire Bank Foundation. These improvements will increase efficiency, enhance workflow, and support continued job creation. 
 
Future renovations may also include reconfiguring the lobby area to improve productivity and customer flow as operations continue to grow. 
 
For more information about BFAIR and the Bottle & Can Redemption Center, visit https://www.bfair.org/BFAIR-Bottle-and-Can-Redemption-Center  

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Northern Berkshire United Way: 1980s Sees Double the Growth, Double the Need

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. 
 
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Northern Berkshire United Way rolled through the "Me Decade" on a high. 
 
The "Massachusetts Miracle" ushered in a boomtime — despite gloomy local indicators like the relocation of Sprague Electric, loss of Adams Print Works in a massive blaze, and Photech's bankruptcy.
 
The agency failed to reach its fundraising goals only two times during the decade even as the region's needs grew. For the first time, homelessness and substance abuse were listed among its allocations.
 
Fundraising grew by leaps and bounds as critical human service relief agencies asked for more. An estimated 36,000 people in North County were being served by the agency's affiliates. The funds went to support between 14 and 17 agencies over the decade for health services, youth support, mental health, child care, and family needs. 
 
NBUW was making enough toward the end of the 1980s that it could provide help to nonmembers such as the Dalton Community Chest, a rape crisis center and two homelessness initiatives. It also worked with the Piton Foundation of Colorado on venture funding, including for a peer mentoring program at Drury High School 
 
Mary G. Dailey had given her first dollar to the original Community Chest in 1935 as a worker at Arnold Print Works. As keynote speaker at the 1981 kick off, she credited North Berkshire's generosity as "enthusiasm."
 
"I'm all for enthusiasm," she told the 150 gathered at the Eagles Hall that fall, with her sister, Catherine, as toastmaster. "No other characteristic, with the possible exception of kindness, has contributed so much to happy and successful living."
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