Berkshire Bounty Conducts Crowdfunding Campaign

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GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — Berkshire Bounty, a 501(c)(3) food recovery organization, will conduct a crowdfunding campaign­ from Dec. 2 through Dec. 16 to raise funds to address an urgent and growing community need.

"Food pantries are serving more people than ever. Berkshire Bounty receives calls daily for more food," said Morgan Ovitsky, Executive Director of Berkshire Bounty. "Our goal is to raise $175,000 by the end of 2025 in order to ensure that we can serve Berkshire County through 2026."

Despite considerable challenges, Berkshire Bounty continues to make strides in mitigating food insecurity. In 2025, the organization:

  • Presented in November at a meeting with the Secretary of the Massachusetts Department of Health and Human Services and several county leaders to help coordinate action steps for the food insecurity crisis caused by the cessation of SNAP benefits.
  • Maintained communication with organizations across the emergency food network to strategically and effectively serve people who are food insecure
  • To date in 2025, distributed 575,000 lbs. of food to 32 emergency food sites, serving 21,000 individuals per week.

Berkshire Bounty will be raising the needed funds with the help of a challenge grant from 3BL, Berkshire Money Management, the Neil & Kathleen Chrisman Fund, John W. Field Tree Service, Inc., community members Eric and Laura Jordahl, and the Buchwald Family Foundation.

"We are so pleased to be able to give back to our community! Berkshire Money Management is proud to support Berkshire Bounty as they help our neighbors in a time of need," said Lusha Martin, Client Growth Strategist with Berkshire Money Management.

"Donations from individuals and local businesses comprise a huge portion of our support. Our community really pulls together, and we are grateful," said Mark Lefenfeld and Jay Weintraub, co-founders and Board members.

Donations for Berkshire Bounty’s end-of-year campaign can be made online on this dedicated page. For more information or to inquire about making an online or offline donation, contact Sara Haimowitz, Berkshire Bounty Director of Development, at sara@berkshirebounty.org.

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

Pryor & Peacock's Whimsical Furniture Environmentally Friendly

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
 

The company uses digital printing to create the upholstery fabric, saving water and saving vintage furniture from ending up in landfills.

STOCKBRIDGE, Mass. — A unique furniture store has popped up on Elm Street this month.

Mom-and-daughter store Pryor & Peacock is hosting the pop-up storefront from Aug. 13 to Aug. 25 at 6 Elm. The New Marlborough business is co-founded by Rosalina Wright and Luca Shapiro, who is also the creative director. 

Their online shop was created in 2024 but they wanted people to see the pieces in person, so they're renting the space for a limited time before a long-term tenant moves in.

The store sources prints to create unique fabrics and reimagines vintage and antique furniture acquired at auctions, local shops, and online.

"We source prints from all over the world that date from the late 1600s up through mid-20th century, and Luca turns those prints into fabric by manipulating them, scanning them, oftentimes has to add or subtract things, and then we manufacture the fabric using only digital printing, which is very environmentally friendly, unlike traditional textile printing," Wright said.

Upholstering the furniture can take weeks of work. Shapiro looks for the perfect design for each piece and, if need be, uses Adobe Photoshop to extend the art work to fit or enhance the print.

"One of the most difficult parts comes in marrying the fabric to a piece of furniture because we only use antique and vintage frames also to be earth friendly, and they're also more beautiful and durable than new furniture," Wright said. "So the image has to go with the furniture, so that takes a lot of work."

One of Pryor & Peacock's missions is to be environmentally friendly. Digital printing doesn't use the same amount of water as traditional textile productions do nor does it contaminate water with ink according to their website.

Not only are they saving water, but they are saving furniture from going into the landfill while also using more durable furniture that doesn't break as easily as current pieces. They started their business to create something unique and to help the environment together.

"It's creating something nobody else is doing. People can't continue to buy throwaway furniture. Six percent of American landfills is furniture, and digital printing not only opens up the possibility of being able to put unique images on a piece of furniture, but it also is, as I said, environmentally friendly. So, for us, the excitement is to take an old East Lake settee that somebody's going to store in their barn and forget about, and make it something completely new and surprising," Wright said.

They hope their furniture helps bring a pop of fun to someone's home.

"We think our furniture is very whimsical and surprising, and most furniture today is oatmeal colored couches and gray neutral chairs, and it's boring," she said.

The two named their business after their mothers' maiden names to honor them and believe the name reflects their pieces.

Shapiro works in interior design outside of the business and the two liked working together and thought it would be great to start a business together. Shapiro says they can work well together and that her and her mother, Wright, has flipped houses before and have the same eye for design.

"So it's very easy for us to work together. When we see something, generally we agree on whether it works or doesn't work on a piece. We agree on the color schemes and that sort of thing. So it's very fun and fulfilling to work together," Shapiro said. 

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