Berkshire Bounty Receives Donation from Warrior Trading

Print Story | Email Story
GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — Berkshire Bounty, a 501(c)3 food rescue organization, received a donation of $30,000 from Warrior Trading, an online educational platform that offers a wide range of courses, training programs, and software for individuals interested in day trading.
 
The company was founded in 2012 by Ross Cameron. Warrior Trading is providing the donation to help Berkshire Bounty reach fundraising goals for its end-of-year fundraising campaign.
 
"Berkshire Bounty is concerned about rising food insecurity rates and the impacts of impending cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The most vulnerable Berkshire County residents will bear the brunt of these cuts: nearly half (44 percent) of SNAP households include older adults, 50 percent include a person with a disability, and 40 percent include children,” said Morgan Ovitsky, Berkshire Bounty's Executive Director. "Our goal is to raise $175,000 from individual donors and local businesses by the end of 2025. This is an increase from previous years because of the need in our community and an increased dependence on private funding sources.”
 
As the size of the food-insecure population in Berkshire County continues to grow, Berkshire Bounty has dedicated itself to meeting a need by growing both functionally and geographically. In 2025, Berkshire Bounty:
  • provided nutritious food for 21,000 individuals weekly by partnering with 32 emergency food sites, including food pantries, schools, and senior centers.
  • continued a program that purchases locally grown foods for the food-insecure population
  • continued and grew a food box program that delivers food to the homes of people who are food insecure in Berkshire County.
"We are so pleased to be able to give back to our community! Warrior Trading is proud to support Berkshire Bounty as they help our neighbors in a time of need,” said Ross Cameron, founder of Warrior Trading.
 
"We are so grateful to our supporters.  Unrestricted donations from our end-of-year campaign will be used for our day-to-day work and for food purchases, allowing us to increase the amount of food distributed to vulnerable people in our county,” stated Mark Lefenfeld and Jay Weintraub, co-founders and Board members of Berkshire Bounty. 
 
Berkshire Bounty is a food rescue organization providing food to those in need by collecting and delivering nutritious food to food pantries, senior centers, school districts and other food access sites. 

Tags: donations,   

If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Reps. Leigh Davis, Bud Williams Filing Legislation Honoring Freeman

SHEFFIELD, Mass. — State Reps. Leigh Davis of the 3rd Berkshire District and Bud L. Williams, of the 11th Hampden District, are filing legislation establishing Aug. 22 as Elizabeth Freeman Day of Equality, Healing, and Remembrance in the commonwealth.
 
The legislation would direct the governor to annually issue a proclamation recognizing the courageous contributions of Elizabeth Freeman, an enslaved Black woman known as Mum Bett, whose landmark freedom suit helped spark the legal end of slavery in Massachusetts.
 
"Elizabeth Freeman's story began here in the Berkshires, but its impact reached every corner of the commonwealth," said Davis. "More than two centuries later, her legacy continues to inspire us. Establishing Elizabeth Freeman Day will ensure that future generations learn not only about her extraordinary bravery, but also about the power of one person to change the course of history."
 
In 1781, Freeman, of Sheffield at the time, challenged the institution of slavery by filing suit against her enslaver, Col. John Ashley. In the landmark case Brom and Bett v. Ashley, a Berkshire County jury ruled in favor of Freeman and her fellow plaintiff, Brom, granting them their freedom. The case demonstrated the power of the Massachusetts Constitution's declaration that all people are born free and equal and helped pave the way for the Quock Walker decisions that ultimately ended slavery in the commonwealth. 
 
"Freeman's courage changed the course of history in Massachusetts," said Williams. "At a time when the odds were stacked against her, she stood up and demanded that the promises of liberty and equality contained in our Constitution apply to her as well. She risked everything to challenge an unjust system, and her victory helped lay the foundation for the end of slavery in our commonwealth. Her legacy deserves to be recognized and remembered by every resident of Massachusetts."
 
Although unable to read or write, Freeman understood the meaning of freedom and equality and took extraordinary action to secure those rights for herself and others. Her story remains one of the most powerful examples of individual courage in the face of injustice. 
 
Elizabeth Freeman Day will provide an opportunity for reflection, education, healing, and remembrance, said Williams. 
 
View Full Story

More South Berkshire Stories