BOSTON, MA – Berkshire Bank, a leading community bank with financial centers in New England and New York, will host Xtraordinary Day (X-Day) on Tuesday, September 12 beginning at 12pm with concurrent day of service events. All financial centers and offices across five states – MA, NY, VT, CT, and RI will harness the collective power of over 1,000 Berkshire Bank employees to create a positive impact and strengthen the communities that Berkshire serves.
For seven (7) years, Berkshire Bank has closed the company for an afternoon of service events so employees could roll up their sleeves, give back to the community, and work with a variety of nonprofit organizations needing assistance. Traditionally, these X-Day events have been held in person, except during the pandemic when they were held virtually.
"We are looking forward to this annual community service event as employees' team up to make positive contributions within our neighborhoods," said Lori Gazzillo Kiely, Director of the Berkshire Bank Foundation. "We're proud to dedicate an entire afternoon to lifting-up our communities and inspiring our employees to support projects dedicated to helping non-profits improve the communities in which we live, work and play.

Berkshire plans to hold more than 45 volunteer events throughout the Bank’s footprint, including featured ones below:
Nonprofit
|
Address
|
Brief Project Description
|
Massachusetts |
|
|
Central Berkshire Habitat for Humanity |
181 Dewey Ave, Pittsfield, MA |
Neighborhood revitalization/beautification |
Re-Green Springfield |
Connecticut Riverwalk & Bikeway&
Springfield, MA |
Planting perennial garden and trees |
Outreach Program |
Veterans Inc.
69 Grove St, Worcester, MA |
Meal donation packaging |
Newtown Food Pantry |
1000 Commonwealth Avenue
Newton, MA 02459 |
Decorating and stuffing kid's bags for a kid's bags program. |
Perkins School for the Blind |
1000 Commonwealth Avenue
Newton, MA 02459 |
Landscaping the Braille trail |
New York |
|
|
Regional Food Bank of Northeastern NY |
965 Albany Shaker Rd
Latham, NY |
Sorting donations |
Center for Disability Services |
Clover Patch Camp
55 Helping Hands Ln
Schenectady, NY
|
Closing camp |
Sleep in Heavenly Peace |
55 Oriskany Blvd
Yorkville, NY |
Building beds for children |
Rosamond Gifford Zoo |
1 Conservation Ave
Syracuse, NY&
|
Landscaping exhibits |
Vermont |
|
|
Bennington County Habitat for Humanity |
50 Jennifer Ln
Manchester, VT 05255 |
Building a home |
Connecticut |
|
|
Hands on Hartford |
Keney Park
Hartford, CT |
Cleaning up Keney Park |
Windham Area Interfaith Ministry |
8666 Main St
Windham, CT |
Sorting donations |
Save the Sound |
>Avery Point Beach, Groton CT and
Harkness Memorial State Park
Waterford, CT |
Cleaning up shoreline |
Rhode Island |
|
|
RI Community Food Bank |
200 Niantic Ave
Providence, RI |
Packing Meals4Kids boxes |
South County Habitat for Humanity |
8 Cardinal Ln
Hopkinton, RI |
Building a home |
“We are exceptionally excited about the upcoming Berkshire Bank X-Day project that will take place at Veterans Inc. Headquarters,” says Vin Perrone, President & CEO of Veterans Inc. “It is our pleasure and honor to partner with the Bank to transform our Armory into a hub of compassion and care, where nearly 70 volunteers will assemble nutritious meal kits for families in need. These kits will be donated to our food pantry, a lifeline for hundreds of Worcester County Veterans and their families. The pantry runs every first and third Thursdays and Saturdays of the month and successfully feeds nearly 2,000 individuals annually, distributing enough food to make over 225,000 meals a year. This initiative not only reflects the values we hold dear but also showcases how collaboration can create a positive ripple effect.”
Additionally, X-Day volunteers will be making an impact at Central Berkshire’s Habitat for Humanity.
“Our partnership with Berkshire is far reaching and collaborative,” said Central Berkshire Habitat for Humanity CEO Carolyn Valli. “When we see something that's going on, we can have honest conversations and figure out what we can do together that could make a change that we wouldn't have been able to do otherwise. From previous X Day volunteer efforts, the impact was evident.” Valli continued, “We were able to go into planning mode and build six units of housing, utilizing an off-site build facility … so that when we were able to get the foundations in the ground, the exterior walls were all created already, which was such a huge jumpstart.”
For over 175 years, Berkshire has been there to help its customers and communities. The company believes empowering the success of those it serves drives its own success. In addition to X-Day, each year the Foundation donates more than $2 million to nonprofits throughout the Bank's footprint. The Company also provides employees with paid time off to volunteer through its XTEAM® corporate volunteer program. To learn more about Berkshire Bank Foundation, visit www.berkshirebank.com/community.
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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 $12.1 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.
Media Contact:
Alicia Jacobs, AVP, Public Relations Officer,
[email protected]