Otto's Farm Stand Donates $470 to Local Charities, Public Media

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Otto and Bea donated $182 to the Berkshire Food Project and to Louison House; the balance of the $470 in donations was split between WAMC and PBS.
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Otto's Farm Stand, a farm stand owned and operated by 8-year-old Otto Lamb and his 4-year-old sister Bea, has donated 50 percent of their sales from the 2025 season to two local organizations.
 
The $470 in donations were made to Berkshire Food Project and Louison House and two regional public media outlets, National Public Radio station WAMC and New England Public Media/PBS.
 
The micro-enterprise farm stand has been in operation since 2022. It offers home-grown produce, flowers, and periodic kid-made crafts for purchase. 
 
Operating on an honor system of "pay what you can, but take what you need," Otto launched the stand because of a desire to provide food for people who need it. As part of its model, Otto's Farm Stand commits to donating half of its annual sales to a charitable cause of Otto and Bea's choosing each year. To date, they have donated more than $1,100 to local causes, including Williamstown Community Preschool, the Northern Berkshire Community Coalition, and Berkshire Agriculture Ventures. 
 
This year, Otto and Bea decided they wanted to give their proceeds to two organizations that help people who need food and housing, and also held a two-day lemonade stand specifically to raise money for WAMC and the Public Broadcasting Service in light of federal budget cuts. 
 
This set of donations would not have been possible without the steadfast patronage and support of an amazing community, who purchase produce and flowers from the stand, said their father, Benjamin Lamb, a case study in that a good deed of supporting local small businesses can have a ripple effect across a broader community. 

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Berkshires Remember First Responders, Military Personnel Lost at 9/11 and Aftermath

By Jack Guerino & Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

North Adams Mayor Jennifer Macksey, with Fire Chief Brent Lefebvre speaks at Friday's memorial. 

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The county's two cities held memorials on Friday morning to mark the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terror attacks. 

Great Barrington was scheduled to hold a dedication of piece of steel from the World Trade Center at 6 p.m.

North Adams held its ceremony in the fire station's side garden starting at exactly 8:46 a.m., the time Flight 11 crashed into the World Trade Center's North Tower.
 
The small square of grass was packed with police officers, firefighters, wire and alarm personnel, dispatchers, and Northern Berkshire EMS employees, and city employees, officials and community members. 
 
After the ceremonial tolling of the bell, an honor guard presented the colors.
 
Mayor Jennifer Macksey said it felt odd welcoming people to a very solemn event.
 
"What happened 25 years ago put a mark on emergency services. It put additional pressure on police, fire, EMS, and dispatchers," Macksey said. "While we remember those who lost their lives during 9/11, and those who ran to help as many as they could during 9/11, we have to pause and appreciate those who continue to serve despite that awful threat that occurred 25 years ago."
 
She said it was a direct attack on the United States and all of its people.
 
"It was a question of our freedoms and our ability to be safe in our communities," the mayor said. "I can say today that here in North Adams, it could happen to us, but I know with the professionalism of our Fire Department, Police Department, EMS, and our dispatch team, we are a better community; we are a safer community than we were 25 years ago."
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