Market 32, Price Chopper Customers Support United Way

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A recent in-store round-up campaign raised $48,434 for United Way. 
 
The fundraiser ran throughout March across all store locations and invited customers to round up their purchases to the nearest dollar at checkout. Customers raised an impressive $38,434, while the company added $10,000.
 
The funds raised will go to local chapters across the entire Market 32 and Price Chopper footprint, helping United Way support programs that improve education, financial stability, and health resources.
 
"These results show what's possible when a community moves together with purpose," said Market 32 and Price Chopper president Blaine Bringhurst, who presented a check to the organization on Friday. "Day after day, our customers chose to participate, and that steady momentum turned into meaningful support for United Way and the vital work they lead locally. We're incredibly grateful to our customers for stepping up in such a simple yet powerful way to support our neighbors."
 
Through this partnership, United Way will be able to invest in initiatives that address critical community needs and create pathways to long-term stability for individuals and families.
 
"The support Market 32 and Price Chopper, along with their customers, showed throughout March has been tremendous. We are incredibly grateful to every customer who thought of a neighbor in need and chose to round up at the register," said Peter Gannon, president and CEO of United Way of the Greater Capital Region, one of the chapters receiving funds through the campaign. "Those small acts of kindness add up to significant impact. Families in our region are navigating difficult challenges, and this support allows United Way to respond where the need is greatest. We celebrate Market 32 and Price Chopper's commitment to community and the compassion their customers demonstrate by supporting neighbors locally."
 
The round-up campaign is part of Market 32 and Price Chopper's ongoing commitment to community impact, including support for local nonprofit partners.
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

King and Confidantes Debate Hope and Change in 'American Five'

By Alan PetrucelliSpecial to iBerkshires
STOCKBRIDGE, Mass. — Fiction and fact meld in the regional premiere of "The American Five," now playing at the Larry Vaber Stage of the Unicorn Theatre. 
 
The play takes a fictionalized look at the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his four closest confidants in the months leading up to the famed March on Washington on Aug. 28, 1963. The quintet, through differing opinions, animated arguments, constant threats of violence and a late-night meal featuring challah bread and wine, become a family as they prepare for the history-making march that galvanized the Civil Rights movement.
 
Most of us know the King saga. It's the second act in which playwright Chess Jakobs' genius shines. Prejudice runs rampant here: Is Stanley Levison, a Jewish lawyer from New York who shows up in Montgomery to join the fight for racial equality and "to repair the world," viewed as white? Jewish? Both? And march strategist and organizer Bayard Rustin experiences his own fight for civil rights because of his homosexuality. Here, Jakob explores prejudice on different levels.
 
The cast is top-notch with many emotional highs. As King, Rashun Carter (who would look more like his character if he had a full moustache) and Sydney Elisabeth (as Coretta Scott King) are at their best during a scene that bounces between humor and poignancy. 
 
She questions her husband about his meeting with President John F. Kennedy; he is angry and refuses to discuss it. "There is no 'you' out there, without a 'me,' in here," she says, leading King to agree that because of her self-worth and unwavering devotion to him, she is "Coretta Scott Queen."
 
As Clarence Jones, King's personal counsel, Brett Diggs has assurance and dignity; Harry Smith's portrayal of lawyer Stanley Levison, is nothing short of extraordinary. Destan Owens' performance as gay Bayard Rustin is the play's most outstanding performance as he defends his relations with men: "You don't get to judge me!" he tells King. "I'm just trying to find love."
 
"The American Five" is tightly directed by Gerry McIntyre; the historic period projections and footage/designed by Alex Hill remind people that there are dreams, such as hope and change, that are still being fought.
 
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