The Friday before winter break, nearly 100 Pittsfield High School (PHS) students flooded into the cafeteria, lined up around six tables, and prepared to pack 10,000 meal kits in 40 minutes. When time was up, every single kit had been packaged and boxed up – ready to be distributed to Pittsfield food pantries.
This particular project was made possible with funding and volunteer support from Berkshire United Way. Through our Venture Fund, PHS was able to purchase the meal kits from End Hunger New England, an organization BUW has partnered with for five years to host our own meal kit packing volunteer event. We reached out to the Rotary Club of Pittsfield, which supports the school’s Interact Club (a group we have also partnered with on volunteer projects), and were able to recruit a handful of volunteers.
The meal kits were donated to the Berkshire Dream Center, The Christian Center, the Campus Cupboard Food Pantry at Berkshire Community College, and the Pittsfield Community Food Pantry.
“We were happy to support this project and are proud of the students for their willingness to give their time and energy to help others. We know these donations will mean so much to the food pantries and the families they serve,” said BUW President and CEO Katherine von Haefen.
This and other volunteer opportunities were part of the school’s second annual Student Voice Summit, a day centered on student leadership, reflection, and community impact. The summit i part of the Portrait of a Graduate Global Citizenship Competency.
“The Student Voice Summit is a powerful reminder of what is possible when students are trusted to lead, listen, and serve,” said Mary Morrison, PHS math teacher and site lead for Portrait of a Graduate. “In their reflections, students shared how meaningful it felt to contribute not only to PHS, but to the larger Pittsfield community, recognizing that their voices and actions truly matter.”
