BERKSHIRE
COMMUNITY
ACTION COUNCIL
2014
Legislative Report
Berkshire Community Action Council’s mission is to act
as a catalyst to stimulate quantifiable change in
peoples’ lives as they work towards self-reliance
Berkshire Community Action Council
Berkshire Community Action Council
L E G I S L AT I V E R E P O RT
YO U R C O M M U N I T Y AC T I O N AT W O R K I N B E R K S H I R E C O U N T Y
The Berkshire Community Action Council has been serving the low-income, elderly and working poor
population of Berkshire County for nearly 50 years. For many we are the “port in the storm” when
families find themselves in financial crisis. We address needs at a local level by administering large
federal programs and smaller community initiatives…all geared at helping families achieve sustainability
and self-sufficiency. We travel the road with our clients, first lending assistance to stabilize in times of
crisis, then offering supports to lead them on the path of self-sufficiency.
As our mission is to help our clients towards sustainability, so is our mission for the agency. In order to
accomplish this, we needed to be very specific about our goal-setting. This year we have shown
significant progress towards achieving our goals. These include:
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Recruit and retain an involved, informed and talented Board of Directors
Work in collaboration throughout the community to strengthen the network of human
service providers
Create an internal culture of cooperation and support among agency programs
Create a sophisticated system for monitoring and projecting fiscal status
Create and maintain a strong trusting relationship with funders
Work towards improving the image of the agency in the community through positive and
collaborative communication strategies
We are proud of our active and engaged board of Directors. They hail from all walks of life and bring
with them a wealth of talent and experience. Our management staff works as a team and provides
collaborative and integrated leadership throughout our programs.
This year BCAC begins working on our three-year Strategic Plan. In order to gain a comprehensive
understanding of our community needs, we are conducting a series of nine “coffee hours” throughout the
county. In addition, we are conducting surveys of all of our stakeholders and working with other
community partners to focus our efforts and direction of our programming. Our Board and Senior
Management Staff will be heavily involved in the planning process throughout the spring of 2014.
Our collaborations throughout the County are growing stronger with a focused effort to bring partners
into the BECS referral (Benefits Enrollment Coordination System). This software, developed by the
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Berkshire Community Action Council
Department of Housing and Community Development, is designed to help communities coordinate and
refer clients throughout the wide spectrum of services offered within the network. This software coupled
with our sophisticated data collection software, Octopia, can track client progress and outcomes to enable
us to determine the efficacy of our programming.
We are excited about the year ahead. We have been successful in our application for a Special Projects
Grant from the Department of Housing and Community Development. Through this grant we will pilot our
“Freedom Garden Project”, putting fresh food into the hands of the low income population throughout the
county. We also received a grant to educate Berkshire County residents of their responsibilities under the
new Health Care for All. The Reconnect program is expanding throughout the county and we are
leveraging our resources with other providers to provide a stronger service delivery model in many areas
of the Berkshires.
Our management works together as a strong team. Because our administrative staff and budget is very
tight, we all contribute to leadership tasks such as grant writing, reporting and planning. This has had
some remarkable benefits. What was originally viewed as a burden (lack of staff) has turned into one
of the agency’s greatest assets. By working together on all of the planning tasks, we have formed an
engaged, informed, coordinated and well-trained leadership team. We make better decisions and
produce a richer service because of the multi-perspective approach to decision making.
THIS WILL BE THE YEAR OF COLLABORATION FOR BCAC. We are making
concerted efforts throughout the County to find ways that we can help other service
providers do their job more effectively and efficiently. Our goal is not to do “everything”
but to help ensure that “everything” gets done! Through the needs assessment and the
strategic planning process we hope to identify NEW ways in which we can help our
partners make a greater impact in our community.
We remain YOUR Community Action Agency. It is our mission to address the needs of the
low income, elderly and working poor within the communities we serve. We hold this mission
as the center of all our decisions and planning. We stand firmly committed to do our best to
honor that mission.
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Berkshire Community Action Council
OUR CORE FUNDING
C OMMUN I TY SERVI CES BLOC K G R A N T
CSBG (Community Services Block Grant) is a federal, anti-poverty block grant which funds the operations
of a state-administered network of local agencies. This CSBG network in Massachusetts consists of 24
agencies that create, coordinate and deliver programs and services to low-income residents throughout
the state. Our agency serves the 931 square miles and the 131,000 residents that comprise
Berkshire County.
Most agencies in the CSBG network are Community Action Agencies (CAAs), created through the Economic
Opportunity Act, a predecessor of the CSBG. Community representation and accountability are
hallmarks of the CSBG network, where agencies are governed by a tri-partite board. This board
structure consists of elected public officials, representatives of the low-income community and appointed
leaders from the private sector.
Through this funding, our agency is able to respond to local needs at a grass-roots level and provide
services unique to the needs of Berkshire County. We also use these funds to leverage other federal,
state and local resources in order to expand and enhance our programming.
The programs that rely on CSBG funding to operate in Berkshire County are:
 At-Risk Youth and Young Adult Programming through Reconnect
 Emergency Services and Outreach
 VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance)
 Financial Literacy Programs
 Individual Community Initiatives
 Support for our partner agencies
 Weatherization Assistance
 Transportation for the Disabled
The flexibility of this funding allows is to operate many programs that are otherwise insufficiently funded
through other sources. It enables us to continue to provide successful and needed services when other
funding sources cannot be relied upon.
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Berkshire Community Action Council
O U R C O M M U N I T Y PA R T N E R S H I P S
F U E L A S S I S TA N C E ( L I H E A P )
Our most well-known and successful program is LIHEAP. This program helps low income families and
individuals pay their heating bills during the harsh Berkshire winters. Last year LIHEAP funding allowed us
to provide fuel assistance to over 7,600 households in Berkshire County. As with all of our programming,
the efficacy is highly dependent upon the strong partnerships within the community.
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Intake workers reach out to our community partners to connect with their clients to provide
assistance with the LIHEAP applications and refer clients with utility arrearages, setting up plans
for moving towards self-sufficiency, budget preparation, financial literacy training and referral to
other community resources. Without these outreach efforts, many low-income families would not
have access to the fuel assistance program due to transportation or mobility restrictions. Our
outreach partners include:
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Councils on Aging
Head Start Programs
Health Care Facilities
School Departments
Major Employers (e.g. Wal-Mart)
Homeless shelters
Berkshire House of Corrections
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BCAC assists local congressional offices with assisting constituents who have contacted them
looking for fuel assistance
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Staff works with inmates at the Berkshire County House of Correction to educate inmates about
the fuel assistance program, assist them with arrearages on utilities, conduct budgeting classes and
make referrals to other agencies regarding housing, health and childcare to help them “land on
their feet” when they are released and/or to assist their families while they are incarcerated.
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BCAC has developed strong relationships with local churches, municipalities and area businesses,
all of which have donate several thousands of dollars annually to supplement their neighbors’ and
residents’ fuel assistance allotment
W E A T H E R I Z AT I O N A N D H E A T I N G S Y S T E M S
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BCAC’s Weatherization Department works closely with the Pittsfield Department of Community
Development, the Dalton CRA and Berkshire Housing to help low-income citizens receive housing
rehabilitation such as plumbing and electrical upgrades, lead paint removal, new roofing or other
structural improvements
Berkshire Community Action Council
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BCAC partners with the USDA and its Rural Development program to assist clients in housing
rehabilitation projects
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One of our most SIGNIFICANT partnerships, agency-wide is our relationship with the Utility
Companies. As the Department of Energy moves away from funding Weatherization programming,
the contracts that BCAC has with the local utilities are now funding over 80% of the services we
provide to the low-income residents of Berkshire County. Without their support, our Weatherization
program would be woefully inadequate to meet the county’s ongoing need.
YOUTH A N D YOUN G A DULT P ROG RA MMI N G
Through our highly acclaimed Project RECONNECT, we provide at-risk youth and young adults with career
skill development and therapeutic mentoring. This program has engaged partners throughout the county
all working in concert to address the needs of this growing population.
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CSBG funding affords Project RECONNECT the ability to operate a day-time drop-in
center for area youth that are referred to BCAC by network partners and other youth
serving agencies
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Project RECONNECT partners with the Berkshire County’s One Stop Career Center by
providing a workplace readiness certificate program
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Berkshire Goodwill Industries partners with Reconnect to provide volunteer training and
placement and access to interview and work clothing at no cost to the client.
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Project RECONNECT partners with the Berkshire House of Corrections by providing reentry
services, advocacy, case management and community connections.
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The Funding though CSBG affords BCAC and Project RECONNECT the opportunity and
resources to develop private sector employer relationships, ensuring training and
employment opportunities for agency clients
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CSBG funding also give this vital program the ability to develop drop-out prevention
strategies and supports that are valuable to the local public school system.
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Through this program all participants have the opportunity of being placed in a
subsidized employment opportunity at the completion of vocational training. Partnerships
with local businesses and other agencies is a cornerstone of this program’s success.
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Berkshire Community Action Council
O U R C O M M U N I T Y PA R T N E R S H I P S
C O M M U N I T Y R E S P O N S E P RO G R A M S
Our Community programming encompasses a myriad of projects that arise in response to local needs.
These programs include larger federal programs as well as smaller grass-root initiatives. Some of the
signature programs that BCAC is known for include VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance), financial
literacy and budget workshops, Holiday and back to school donation drives and distribution, community
garden projects, emergency aid, medical reminder services for the elderly and other smaller initiatives
targeted at specific local needs.
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BCAC receives tens of thousands of dollars in donations from the community in the form of
goods and cash to provide needy households with new, warm clothing around the holidays
and thousands of dollars of donations towards purchasing back-to-school supplies for
needy families.
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BCAC actively participates in the MEDA and LEAN meetings at the state level. This
relationship ensures a coordinated effort in providing assistance to low income families.
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We work with other local nonprofits such as Habitat for Humanity, the local Housing
Authority and the Homeless Shelters to provide financial literacy workshops and VITA
services for their clients
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Berkshire Community Action works with neighborhood initiative groups to fund four
community gardens. These gardens provide a source of fresh produce to children and low
income families.
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This year, through funding made available from DHCD, BCAC will coordinate efforts within
the community to create the “Freedom Garden Project”, making raised bed planters
available to low-income families so they can grow their own vegetables.
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BCAC works with volunteers from Williams College, Berkshire Community College and
several local businesses to provide tax preparation services for the low-income population.
This program’s goal is to place much needed EITC dollars into the hands of the poor.
Berkshire Community Action Council
O U R I M PAC T O N U N E M P L OY M E N T
I MP ROVI NG OUR EC ON O M Y I N WESTER N MA SS
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Studies show that, Massachusetts, a state without oil, natural gas or coal reserves sends $8 Billion
each year out of state for purchase of natural gas and oil used to heat homes. Therefore
Massachusetts gets a “double whammy” because of the colder winters and expensive out-of-state
fuel. By investing in energy efficiency through our Weatherization programs, more money is kept
in the state while employing local workers and contractors.
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Most of the insulation installed in homes was produced at National Fiber in Belchertown, MA.
Again, this kept dollars in Massachusetts and created a win-win situation, where jobs were
created and greenhouse gas emissions and pollution was reduced.
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Through its youth/young adult development and training program (RECONNECT) and the
agency’s commitment to programming that supports low-income residents of Berkshire County,
BCAC has directly helped ease the burden of unemployment in the County. RECONNECT clients
gain transferrable job skills that will support them throughout their careers. Last year, of the 79
youth served, 26 entered into full time employment, 9 into volunteer or community service work
and 34 entered into technical vocational or job skill training programs.
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RECONNECT has forged solid partnerships with public and private sector employers, ensuring
engagement, training and placement opportunities for program participants for years to come.
Employment connection sectors include the building trades, manufacturing, retail culinary/food
service and transportation. Without RECONNECT’s direct service to Berkshire County, many atrisk/vulnerable youth and young adults would not have access to job opportunities, training and
the professional guidance that the project offers.
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BCAC distributes resources for low-income residents to deal with some of the every-day
emergencies that would otherwise present a barrier to employment. Examples would be a car
repair, rent assistance or a transportation issue.
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Berkshire Community Action works with local Housing Authorities and other Community partners to
keep clients in their homes. By providing the myriad of services from fuel assistance, heating
system repairs to warm clothing and financial literacy and budgeting workshops, we assist the
low-income population of Berkshire County in developing the necessary skills and assets to secure
and maintain employment.
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Berkshire Community Action Council
I N N O VAT I V E P RO G R A M M I N G
C S B G D O L L A R S AT W O R K
The beauty of CSBG funding is that it allows Community Action Agencies to develop innovative
programming in response to local needs. Here a just a few of the innovative projects funded by CSBG
dollars.
The Freedom Garden Project is a unique strategy to fight against rural food insecurity while increasing
the self sufficiency of low-income households and communities. These goals are accomplished by
marketing compact garden beds, including soil and vegetable starts, which convert into a greenhouse
during the cooler months, to higher income residents. Built into the cost of each bed is the cost for
another bed, which will be donated to a low-income family in Berkshire County. Low-income residents
will receive technical support with their beds throughout the season. When a low-income household
bed enters the second season, that household is expected to act as a mentor to new bed owners in
their neighborhood. Through this program it is expected that residents will gain greater access to fresh
food, increase in overall health, and learn basic vegetable propagation skills.
The Food Depot distributed over ONE MILLION pounds of food to the 18 food pantries and 4 meal sites
scattered throughout Berkshire County. Since BCAC’s main location provides a coveted loading dock,
we partner with the Western Mass Food Bank to provide a centralized Food Depot. It serves as a
central distribution center for all food bank resources as well as local donations from farms and gardens
throughout Berkshire County.
The Medical Reminder Service provides stipends to low-income senior volunteers to phone other
Berkshire County seniors who need reminders to take their medications, prepare their meals and
occasionally just to provide reassurance or human contact. The program allows the elder population to
maintain their independence by preventing the need for medical intervention which might remove
them from their own homes. Over 30,000 phone calls are made annually under this program.
Career Preparedness Certification program is an 8 week, 16 hour comprehensive program designed to
prepare individuals to successfully enter the workforce. Participants are trained using an 8 module
curriculum and individualized case management sessions that facilitate the development of their
professional skills and expertise. Throughout the program, participants complete a personalized
education and career plan and build a professional portfolio, including an updated resume, cover letter
and reference sheet. Graduates of the program are awarded a certificate and are offered extended
case management through the RECONNECT center.
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Berkshire Community Action Council
H O U S E H O L D S S E RV E D
C O M M U N I T Y A C T I O N AT W O R K I N B E R K S H I R E C O U N T Y
Households Served Throughout Berkshire County
2013
124
445
559
134
1,178
2,747
7,331
LIHEAP
Holiday & School
Weatherization & Heating Systems
Asset Development
Emergency Assistance
Youth at Risk Services
Transportation
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Berkshire Community Action Council
FUNDING TRENDS
DOING MORE WITH LESS!
Heating Systems Repair and Replacement
Funding shows >38% decline over 5 years
600,000
550,000
500,000
450,000
400,000
350,000
Federal Funding Level
300,000
250,000
200,000
150,000
100,000
50,000
0
2009
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2010
2011
2012
2013
Berkshire Community Action Council
FUNDING TRENDS
DOING MORE WITH LESS!
Fuel Assistance (LIHEAP)
Shows 30% Reduction Over 5 Years
7,500,000
7,000,000
6,500,000
6,000,000
5,500,000
5,000,000
4,500,000
4,000,000
3,500,000
3,000,000
2,500,000
2,000,000
1,500,000
1,000,000
500,000
0
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
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Berkshire Community Action Council
A S TA B L E Y E A R
Y O U R F I S C A L LY R E S P O N S I B L E A G E N C Y
Berkshire Community Action Council
Statement of Revenues and Expenditures
SOURCES OF FUNDS
FEDERAL GRANTS
STATE GRANTS
PRIVATE CONTRACTS-FEE FOR SERVICE
CSBG
PRIVATE DONATIONS
UNITED WAY ALLOCATION
MUNICIPAL GRANTS
IN-KIND REVENUE
CORPORATE DONATIONS
BANK INTEREST
MEMORIAL DONATIONS
RENTAL INCOME
GAIN ON SALE OF ASSETS
TOTAL OPERATING REVENUE AND SUPPORT
2013
2012
6,198,385
1,801,561
1,431,197
361,589
56,666
3,780
48,156
5,609
7,982
465
120
9,000
1,095
7,504,238
1,968,022
934,057
385,531
118,159
115,417
74,498
9,084
4,100
1,020
440
9,925,605
11,114,566
5,536,224
1,769,112
1,451,317
758,709
238,609
104,412
6,524
5,731,118
2,373,376
1,334,892
1,076,235
194,458
149,775
111,497
32,137
9,864,907
11,003,488
60,698
111,078
USES OF FUNDS
FUEL ASSISTANCE
WEATHERIZATION/UTILITY PROGRAMS
TRANSPORTATION
HOUSING/SHELTERS
COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS
COMMUNITY RECONNECT CENTER
BERKSHIRE IMMIGRANT CENTER
ADMINISTRATION
TOTAL USE OF FUNDS
EXCESS OF SOURCE OVER USE OF FUNDS
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Berkshire Community Action Council
O U R B OA R D O F D I R E C T O R S
C O M M U N I T Y VO L U N T E E R I S M AT I T S B E S T
OFFICERS
Mark Lincourt, President
61 Main Street
North Adams, MA 01247
Food Bank of Western Massachusetts
Michael Bedford, Vice President
247 Union Street, Loft 201
North Adams, MA 01247
Professor (teaching a variety of NPO management courses)
David Irwin, CPA, Treasurer
25 Imperial Avenue
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Partner in CPA Firm
Annie Rodgers
61 Main Street, Suite 218
North Adams, MA 01247
Program Director for the Northern Berkshire Coalition
Represents the Low Income Sector
Appointed by Mayor of North Adams, Mayor Alcombright
Represents the Private Sector
Represents the Low Income Sector
MEMBERS
Edward Bailey
104 Candlewood Drive
Williamstown, MA 01267
Retired Real Estate and Sales Professional
Linda Cernik
3 Godek Street
Adams, MA 01247
Adams Council on Aging
Lois Daunis
58 Holden Street
North Adams, MA 01247
Program Director for the Northern Berkshire Coalition
Robert Dean, JD
149 Park Avenue
Dalton, MA 01226
Elder affairs, Former Director of Berkshire Elder Services
Appointed by Gailanne Cariddi, State Representative
Appointed by the Adams Board of Selectmen
Represents the Low Income Sector
Represents the Low Income Sector
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Berkshire Community Action Council
Cassandra Mark
Berkshire Life Insurance
Peru, Massachusetts,
Appointed by Paul Mark, State Representative
Amy Perry-Mercier, JD
30 Balance Rock
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Perry-Mercier Law Offices
Darlene Olsen
480 West Street
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Program Director for Berkshire Children and Families
Stephen Radin
139 Mountain Drive
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Retired Educator and Superintendent
Kelly Samuels, JD
48 Copley Terrace
Pittsfield, Massachusetts, 01201
Attorney
Mark Savoy
367 Pomeroy
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Construction Industry
Michael Taylor
104 Appleton Avenue
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Human Resources, City of Pittsfield
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Represents the Private Sector
Represents the Low Income Sector
Represents the Private Sector
Represents the Private Sector
Represents the Low-income Sector
Appointed by Mayor Bianchi, City of Pittsfield
Berkshire Community Action Council
IN THE NEWS -THE BERKSHIRE EAGLE !
B C AC AT W O R K I N T H E C O M M U N I T Y
A GIFT FOR ALL CHILDREN: BCAC'S GIVING TREE IN 33RD SEASON
By Jenn Smith, Berkshire Eagle Staff
POSTED: 11/29/2013 04:49:39 PM EST
UPDATED: 11/29/2013 05:06:17 PM EST
From left, Berkshire Community Action Council volunteers Christine Stapleton, Amber Frederick, Ashley Smith and Kate Loria sort
through the 600 requests received to help children in need through 2013 Giving Tree holiday warm clothing drive. (Jenn
Smith/Berkshire Eagle Staff)
LANESBOROUGH -- On Friday morning, a team of holiday helpers sat at a table sorting through
names of little girls and boys.
They weren't trying to figure out who was naughty and nice, but rather which children still needed
a gift and which were spoken for as Berkshire Community Action Council kicked off its 33rd Giving
Tree and Holiday Elf program at the Berkshire Mall.
The program seeks anonymous holiday "elves" from the community to help donate, gather and
distribute gifts of warm clothing for children, from infants to age 12, living in the central Berkshire
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Berkshire Community Action Council
County area. The children who are helped come from families who are struggling with ongoing or
sudden financial hardships.
From left, Berkshire Community Action
Council volunteers Kate Loria and
Ashley Smith show first-time volunteer
Amber Frederick how to help donors fill
out a sponsorship form for the 2013
Giving Tree holiday warm clothing drive.
Sponsorships are collected at a BCAC
table set up in the Berkshire Mall in
Lanesborough. (Jenn Smith/Berkshire
Eagle Staff)
This year, BCAC partnered with Berkshire Money Management to launch "Give Back Friday," the
Giving Tree campaign kick-off slogan, to counter to the post-Thanksgiving shopping extravaganza
"Black Friday."
Though more than 300 children have already been sponsored by corporate groups, businesses and
individuals, BCAC is trying to collect new warm clothes for about 600 other children by Dec. 15.
In the past, according to Giving Tree volunteer coordinator Regina White, volunteers have had to
work until almost Christmas Eve to make sure they got enough donations to distribute to families.
She said even if people can't afford to buy whole outfits, "Every penny helps. We will use the money
to buy gifts for the kids."
Ava Cherry, 12, and Madelyn Cherry, 10, pooled their money together to sponsor a 4-year-old girl
through the Giving Tree. They said it's part of their mitzvah, a Jewish tradition and mission of
doing worthy deeds.
"Not everyone's lucky enough to have what they need," said Ava. "If you have extra money, it's good
to give back, and since winter's coming, it's going to get colder."
"It's a feel-good thing," said Christine Stapleton, who is volunteering for the third year to help
match donors to a child they want to sponsor.
She and one of her children are former beneficiaries of the program.
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Berkshire Community Action Council
There are two boxes at the BCAC Giving Tree table, one with red envelopes for girls and green
envelopes with boys. A label on the envelope gives a brief description of the child -- age and gender
-- and clothing needs, including sizes, favorite colors and clothing articles needed whether it be
sock, pants, a coat or other items.
Berkshire Community Action Council intern Kate
Loria holds up the first gifts donated to the 2013
Giving Tree holiday warm clothing drive.
Sponsorships are collected at a BCAC table set
up in the Berkshire Mall in Lanesborough on
Friday. (Jenn Smith/Berkshire Eagle Staff)
For some children, it will be a charitable stranger to give them their first Christmas gift. Near the
stack Stapleton was sorting through Friday morning, one green envelope was designated for a
month-old boy in need of a coat, pants, socks, shirt, onesies -- preferably yellow -- and diapers.
Even before the official 11 a.m. kickoff, Giving Tree volunteers could see the "Give Back Friday"
spirit taking effect, as a steady flow of shoppers stopped by to select an envelope.
Caiden Crisp, 6, the grandson of BCAC community services director Janie McCormick, handed out
"I Gave Back" stickers designed by One Eighty Media, to help donors let others know about the
program, much like the "I Voted" stickers given out at election polling stations or "I Gave Blood"
stickers given out to donors by the American Red Cross.
McCormick lauded Berkshire Mall businesses for making donations, doing group sponsorships or
giving Giving Tree shoppers discounts. She said she hopes that other area businesses might follow
suit this year.
Next year, she said she wants BCAC to spearhead a "one-stop holiday association" to work with all
area programs that collect toys and clothes for kids and teens, to make sure donations are
distributed evenly and to as many people in need as possible.
Just before noontime, Kate Loria, a Berkshire Community College student interning with BCAC,
shouted out with glee, "We have our first gift," and held up two big shopping bags filled with
clothes.
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Berkshire Community Action Council
Meanwhile, her 9-year-old daughter, Ashley Smith, was busy helping donors fill out paperwork and
select envelopes. Smith also helped Amber Frederick, an adult and first-time volunteer, get
oriented with the filing system.
Caiden Crisp, 6, grandson of Berkshire Community Action
Council community services director Janie McCormick,
passed out 'I Gave Back' stickers to donors who sponsor a
child through the 2013 Giving Tree holiday warm clothing
drive and 'Give Back Friday' campaign. (Jenn
Smith/Berkshire Eagle Staff)
"This is something I've always wanted to do. It's my way of giving back," said Frederick, whose
children have also benefited from The Giving Tree.
"For those families who are struggling, to wake up Christmas morning knowing their children will
have something under the tree is a gift. To know you live in a place where you can get help from
your neighbors is the best feeling," she said.
About the Berkshire Community Action Council Giving Tree program:
What: The Giving Tree asks community members to become "holiday elves" to anonymously
purchase warm clothing for children up to age 12.
When: BCAC will collect gift and monetary donations through Dec. 15.
Where: The Giving Tree table is located in the alcove near the JCPenney and Peace Train Tees
store, located in the Berkshire Mall, Lanesborough.
Info: To learn how to make a donation or sponsor a child, call Janie McCormick at (413) 418-3658.
To volunteer at The Giving Tree table, text or leave a message on the business line for Regina White
at (413) 358-1060.
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Berkshire Community Action Council
IN THE NEWS -THE BOSTON GLOBE !
B C AC AT W O R K I N T H E C O M M U N I T Y
TEMP JOB AND A FRIEND’S HELP
OFFER NEW HOPE
By Megan Woolhouse
JANUARY 12, 2014
Aleta Moncecchi (right) kept in touch with Mindy Shoestock over the years. And when a position opened up at Berkshire
Community Action Council, she persuaded her supervisor to hire Shoestock.
NORTH ADAMS — By most standards, it would just be a temporary job with modest pay, but
for Mindy Shoestock, it could represent the opportunity of a lifetime.
The job, interviewing people seeking fuel assistance, is a world away from away from the
McDonald’s where Shoestock, a single mother of three, has worked for more than a decade. She
wears a wool suit to the office, works 8 to 4 instead of night shifts, and, for the first time in her
adult life, sees the chance to build a professional identity, and perhaps a career.
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Berkshire Community Action Council
“I don’t go home smelling like french fries,” Shoestock said. “I feel fantastic, like I’m moving
forward.”
Moving up is increasingly difficult in poor, postindustrial communities like North Adams, a
former mill city in the northwest corner of Massachusetts where jobs and opportunities are
few. Amid picturesque steeples, art galleries, and the misty backdrop of the Berkshire
Mountains, unemployment remains near 8 percent, nearly a percentage point above the state
average.
But Shoestock had a tireless advocate, Aleta Moncecchi, a wiry and energetic 49-year-old social
worker who saw beyond Shoestock’s mistakes, missteps, and poverty, helping her land a
temporary job at the Berkshire Community Action Council, where Moncecchi also works.
“She tries, she works hard. She’s trying to make a better life,” Moncecchi said of Shoestock. “I
don’t think she’s had anyone that pushed her, that said, ‘You can do this. There’s more out
there.’”
Shoestock was the subject of a 2011 Globe story about the state’s poorest residents falling
further behind in a tech-driven economy centered on Boston. In Berkshire County, low-income
families earned less, adjusted for inflation, than they did in 1979 — even as earnings in upper
income brackets rose significantly.
Struggling to feed her two sons and pregnant with a third child, all from different fathers,
Shoestock was a McDonald’s supervisor with take-home income of about $16,000 a year, an
empty refrigerator, and a pile of unpaid bills.
Moncecchi has known Shoestock for nearly a decade, first encountering her when she worked
as a family advocate in the Head Start program, the government-sponsored early education
program. Shoestock and another parent had brawled, and Moncecchi met with her to handle
the situation.
The two women didn’t click instantly. But Moncecchi came to see that Shoestock had a
willingness to listen and a deep desire to improve her life and her children’s.
Though it was not part of her job, Moncecchi began visiting Shoestock regularly, tracking her
down as she moved from apartment to tenement, bringing her clothing and food. Several years
ago, Moncecchi rallied members of her church to donate money to buy presents for Shoestock’s
boys for Christmas.
Shoestock’s pride made it difficult for her to accept the gifts, so Moncecchi suggested she
return the favor by volunteering at her church’s annual spaghetti supper. Shoestock did,
bringing her sons. And she and her boys have returned every year since.
Moncecchi admitted she became frustrated two years ago when Shoestock, already living on
the edge of homelessness, got pregnant with her third child, also a son. But, Moncecchi said,
she also saw that Shoestock needed her more than ever.
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Berkshire Community Action Council
When a position at the Community Action Council opened during a massive reorganization in
2013, Moncecchi told Shoestock to apply. The agency, funded by state and federal money, was
about $360,000 in debt.
A new executive director, Deborah Leonczyk, had taken over and pared back staffing. But
Moncecchi persuaded Leonczyk to hire Shoestock.
“Aleta said, ‘I have somebody wonderful,’” Leonczyk said, “so I gave her a chance.”
Now Shoestock, 31, sits at desk in a carpeted office along Main Street just a few blocks from the
McDonald’s where she worked. Her long, brown hair is tied, held back in a bow, rather than a
hairnet.
Her job involves working with low-income residents seeking fuel assistance, helping them to
determine whether they qualify and fill out necessary paperwork. Moncecchi said Shoestock
quickly grasped the job and works hard at it.
“I can’t believe what she’s capable of,” Moncecchi said. “She does so many applications a day,
and I don’t have to tell her what to do.”
Shoestock said she tries to make the people who come in feel comfortable, because she knows it
can be hard to ask for help. She recalled one older woman who had been diagnosed with an
illness and suddenly needed assistance paying her fuel bill. The woman was embarrassed and
upset, but Shoestock tried to put her at ease.
“There’s people like her and like me every day that have to ask for help,” she said. “It’s OK to
need help.”
Shoestock earns just 50 cents more an hour than she did when she left McDonald’s, but she
now gets paid holidays. Thanksgiving and Christmas Day were the first paid holidays of her
working life.
But she also knows that she still faces an uphill struggle. The job is temporary, contingent on
agency funding, with no guarantees of becoming permanent. She has held onto her job at
McDonald’s, working Sundays, just in case.
Shoestock still relies on food stamps and visits a church food pantry to keep her family fed. The
church also offers free clothing from its consignment store, allowing people in need to take as
much clothing as they can fit in a brown bag.
That is how Shoestock found the wool blazer, blouse, skirt, and low black heels she wore on a
recent workday.
If she doesn’t land a permanent position at the agency, she hopes to turn the work experience
into another office job. When her sons are older, she said, she might return to school to study
social work. But for now, she’s simply grateful for the chance she has been given.
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Berkshire Community Action Council
“People look at me differently now,” she said of her new image. “I love getting up in the
morning.”
Megan Woolhouse can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter
@megwoolhouse.
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Berkshire Community Action Council
I N T H E N E W S - N O R T H A DA M S T R A N S C R I P T !
B C AC AT W O R K I N T H E C O M M U N I T Y
'HARVEST HAUL' AIMS TO HELP FOOD PANTRIES FOR HOLIDAY SEASON
RUSH
Transcript Staff,
POSTED: 10/10/2013 02:32:20 PM EDT
Representatives from the Berkshire Community Action Council will be outside participating stores around the county, including the
North Adams Walmart Supercenter, above, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., on Saturday, Oct. 19, collecting food donations for the agency's
first annual 'Harvest Haul.' (Transcript file)
NORTH ADAMS -- Berkshire Community Action Council is hoping local residents will help stock
the shelves of local food pantries before the holiday season arrives.
Representatives from Berkshire Community Action (BCAC) will be outside participating stores
around the county from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., on Saturday, Oct. 19, collecting food donations for the
agency's first annual "Harvest Haul."
"Our Executive Director Deborah Leonczyk came up with the idea as a way for us to reach out to
the community," Aleta Moncecchi, BCAC North's community partnership director, said
Wednesday. "It's an in-kind, goodwill gesture that will help support our local food pantries."
She said BCAC board members and management will be on hand at the various locations to collect
and distribute the donations.
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Berkshire Community Action Council
In Northern Berkshire, donations will be accepted at the Walmart Supercenter on Curran Highway.
Other participating locations include: Walmart in Pittsfield; Price Chopper in Great Barrington,
Lee and Pittsfield; and Stop & Shop in Pittsfield.
At each of the locations, shoppers who make donations will be asked to place their donations
directly into the BCAC transportation vans.
"The really great thing is individuals who make donations will be able to choose which food pantry
they want their donation to go to," Moncecchi said. "In North Adams, donations can be made to the
Friendship Center Food Pantry in North Adams, the Pope John Paul II Parish Center in Adams or
the Williamstown Food Pantry at the Sts. Patrick and Raphael Parish Center."
At the end of the food drive, the "food hauls" will be driven to the partner agencies.
For more information, contact Moncecchi by phone at 413-663-3014, or by email at
[email protected].
-- Jennifer Huberdeau
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Berkshire Community Action Council
IN THE NEWS -THE BERKSHIRE EAGLE !
B C AC AT W O R K I N T H E C O M M U N I T Y
PROJECT RECONNECT PROVIDES HOPE FOR TROUBLED YOUTHS TO GET
BACK ON TRACK
By Jenn Smith, Berkshire Eagle Staff
POSTED: 07/12/2013 12:11:03 AM EDT | UPDATED:
Project Reconnect counselor Nancy Woitkowski speaks to students in a YouthWorks orientation on Thursday at BerkshireWorks in
Pittsfield. (Jenn Smith / Berkshire Eagle Staff)
For people between the ages of 16 and 21 years old who are out of school and living in Northern
Berkshire County, there's new hope and new help available to get them back on track.
BerkshireWorks Career Center and Project Reconnect have partnered through a federal grant
program to be able to provide a number of support services for free to struggling young people,
from GED assessment and preparation to paid work experiences.
The program has the capacity to help 31 youths in need between now and June 2014.
"This is something new to us and important since we had to close our North County
[BerkshireWorks] center in 2011," said Melanie Gelaznik, manager of program operations at
BerkshireWorks.
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Berkshire Community Action Council
She is coordinating the new effort with Bryan House, program manager of Project Reconnect,
which has been working to expand services to the northern Berkshire area.
"The stories we hear [from young people] are getting more bleak," said House.
"We're seeing a lot of young people who have homelessness issues and tenuous housing, who lack
access to nutrition and food, school dropouts, who have their own set of risk factors, and young
people who are unemployed or underemployed. They're coming out of tough home situations too,"
he said.
House said the new collaborative also includes transportation and meeting space services provided
by Berkshire Community Action Council.
"Like my agency's name indicates, we hope to reconnect a lot of those disconnected youth," said
House.
North County students who are low-income, are out of school and face an additional barrier such as
homelessness, a learning disability or other similar kind of struggle are eligible to apply for the
program.
House said the ideal candidate is someone who is "ready to commit, ready to work and ready to
succeed." He also said the program is flexible.
In addition to test help, transportation and job search assistance, students can also attend life skills
and employment workshops, and earn financial support for items such as work clothes,
transportation, and get help finding stable housing.
BerkshireWorks Director John Barrett III said in addition to state and federal funding, long-term
success for the program also depends on the investment of interest, time and patience from the
private sector.
"We need those who are really willing to take in a disadvantaged youth and show them what they
do," he said. Barrett said overall, struggling teens and young adults need more exposure to positive
possibilities, be it a business tour or trip to a performing arts center.
"When they get this kind of exposure they can see life ain't that bad," he said.
To reach Jenn Smith:
[email protected],
or (413) 496-6239.
On Twitter: @JennSmith_Ink
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Berkshire Community Action Council
C O M M E N DAT I O N S !
MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN PEOPLE’S LIVES
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Berkshire Community Action Council
C O M M E N DAT I O N S !
MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN PEOPLE’S LIVES
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Berkshire Community Action Council
C O M M E N DAT I O N S !
MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN PEOPLE’S LIVES
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Berkshire Community Action Council
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