Pittsfield, MA – Berkshire Bank, a leading, socially responsible community bank with financial centers in New England and New York, announced its foundation provided $584,361 in philanthropic investments during the first quarter of 2023 (January 1- March 31) to foster upward economic mobility, racial equity, and enhance opportunities for success in the regions Berkshire Bank serves. The investments also support the company’s BEST Community Comeback which includes a planned $15 million in community contributions by the end of 2024.

In total, the Berkshire Bank Foundation assisted 120 nonprofit organizations during the quarter with grants to support a wide range of critical projects including small business entrepreneurship, housing, food insecurity, homelessness, educational advancement, youth, arts, culture, diversity, and inclusion. Ultimately, funding helped support the overall health and well-being of communities across New England and New York, particularly for underrepresented populations.

“We are proud to continue our strong support of the communities that Berkshire Bank serves. Beyond our financial contributions, we continue to amplify our impact though our XTEAM employee volunteer program, regularly assisting with projects to help those in need in our communities,” said Lori Gazzillo Kiely, Managing Director of Berkshire Bank Foundation. She continued, “We are pleased to make these contributions to support individuals, families, and small businesses within our markets.”

The grant recipients listed below are just a sample of the projects Berkshire Bank supported to strengthen organizations throughout Massachusetts, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Vermont. They include:
Angel of Edgewood, Inc. (CT)
Berkshire Immigrant Center Inc (MA)
Berkshire Resources for the Integration of Diverse Groups and Education, Inc. (MA)
Berkshire Pride (MA)
Berkshire Agricultural Ventures (MA)
Blackshires Community Empowerment Foundation (MA)
Boys & Girls Club of Worcester (MA)
Capital District Women’s Employment & Resource Center, Inc. (known as WERC) (NY)
Community Access to the Arts (MA)
Community Catalyst, Inc. (MA)
Community Loan Fund of the Capital Region, Inc (NY)
CNY Jazz Central (NY)
Economic Mobility Pathways (MA)
Enfield Pride (CT)
Goodwill Industries of the Berkshires & Southern Vermont, Inc (VT)
Habitat for Humanity of Eastern Connecticut (CT)
Hillcrest Educational Centers, Inc.
Homeless and Travelers Aid Society (NY)
Literacy Volunteers of Greater Hartford (CT)
Make-A-Wish Foundation of Massachusetts and Rhode Island (MA & RI)
Make-It Springfield (MA)
Massachusetts Affordable Housing Alliance (MA)
Massachusetts Women of Color Coalition Inc (MA)
Nonprofit Center of the Berkshires (NPC) (MA)
Rhode Island Community Food Bank (RI)
Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center Foundation (CT)
Senior Citizens Center of Saratoga Springs Inc (NY)
Seven Hills Foundation (MA)
Soldier On, Inc. f/k/a United Veterans of America, Inc. (MA)
State University Of New York Polytechnic Institute Foundation (NY)
ToLife! Inc (NY)
The Arc Eastern Connecticut (CT)
The Stratton Mountain & Valley Community Benefit Foundation (VT)
UMass Medical School Foundation (MA)
Vermont Green-up Inc (VT)
Vermont Works for Women (VT)
Wildwood Foundation (NY)
Why Me, Inc (MA)

Upskill Your Employees, Build Your Supervisory Pool

This 90-hour, practical supervisory course takes strong performers and develops them into strong leaders. This course is designed for employees that were promoted to supervisor as well as those employees you are cultivating to a supervisory position.

Key topics include:

• Effective Communication
• Team Building
• Time Management
• Planning and Goal Setting
• Problem Solving and Decision Making
• Performance Management

100% grant reimbursement is available for companies with fewer than 100 employees or 50% reimbursement for those with greater than 100 employees.

The course is offered in either a 90-hour or 150-hour length, with live instructor-led sessions via Zoom.

The next open session runs from June 20 through October 26. Don’t wait! Contact us today to sign up!

Contact Kristine Asselin at 978-630-9156 or email .

Learn the fundamentals of 3D Printing at one of our 2-hour sessions including:

• How 3D printers work
• How to “slice” your model for printing
• How to troubleshoot common problems

Where: Wachusett Business Incubator, 31 Lake Street, Gardner, MA 01440. Each class will be

Class Size: Up to 5 participants for each available session

When: Select from May 2 at 7 PM; May 3 at 4 PM or 7 PM; or May 6 at 10 AM or 1 PM

Instructor: Glenn Eaton

Cost: FREE

Join Mirick O’Connell’s Labor, Employment Benefits Team for this informative half-day seminar. We will discussing a variety of topics designed to assist HR professionals and business lenders as they attempt to successfully navigate challenging employment issues.

 

Boston – Berkshire Bank, a leading, socially responsible community bank with financial centers in New England and New York, is excited to announce it was recently recognized in Newsweek magazine’s list of America’s Most Trustworthy Companies 2023.  The list features the top 700 most trustworthy companies across 23 industries.

The Newsweek list recognized companies for their dedication to building trust with all stakeholders. Results were based on a holistic approach to evaluating trust that considered customer trust, employee trust, and investor trust.

“Trust is the foundation of all banking relationships,” said Berkshire Bank CEO Nitin Mhatre. “This award reflects the passionate commitment of all Berkshire bankers working hard every day to earn the trust of our customers by treating them fairly and with respect, safeguarding and growing their hard-earned assets, being there for them in good times and bad, and prioritizing transparency and integrity at every stakeholder touchpoint. We are proud to be ranked as one of the most trustworthy companies and banks in the country for the second consecutive year.”

America’s Most Trustworthy Companies 2023 were identified in an independent survey based on a vast sample of approximately 25,000 U.S. residents who rated companies they know in terms of on all three touchpoints of trust. A total of 95,000 evaluations were submitted. This prestigious award is presented by Newsweek and Statista Inc., the world-leading statistics portal and industry ranking provider.

About Berkshire Bank
Berkshire Bank, founded in 1846, is becoming a high-performing, leading, socially responsible community bank. It empowers the financial potential of its stakeholders by making banking available where, when and how it’s needed through an uncompromising focus on exceptional customer service, digital banking, and positive community impact. Providing a wide range of financial solutions through its consumer banking, commercial banking and wealth management divisions, the bank has approximately $11.7 billion in assets and a community-based footprint of 100 financial centers in Massachusetts, New York, Vermont, Connecticut and Rhode Island. Headquartered in Boston, Berkshire Hills Bancorp (NYSE: BHLB) is the parent of Berkshire Bank. Named one of America’s Most Trusted Companies by Newsweek and America’s Best Midsize Employers by Forbes, Berkshire is also listed in the Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index and a Best Place to Work for LGBTQ+ Equality. To learn more, visit www.berkshirebank.com or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.