giving back
From Investment to Impact
MILL TOWN’ S BLUEPRINT FOR A STRONGER PITTSFIELD AND BERKSHIRE COUNTY
When Samantha Farella received the Core Impact Award from Mill Town Foundation, she experienced something rare in her work as a reading specialist: she felt truly seen.“ The recognition helped me realize that what we do is impactful,” Farella says.
At Williams Elementary in Pittsfield, Farella works daily with some of the city’ s most struggling readers, helping students discover that magical moment when letters become words, words become sentences, and suddenly, reading clicks.
“ We do this every day. I see kids who start the year and cannot read, and by the end they’ re reading,” says Farella.“ It’ s nice to be recognized once in a while for that hard work that oftentimes in education goes unnoticed.”
Farella’ s story exemplifies a larger shift in Berkshire County, one that’ s being amplified as Mill Town Foundation transitions from a private foundation to a public charity— a strategic evolution that reflects national best practices for sustainable community transformation and opens new doors for broader funding, governance, and community participation.
68 // BERKSHIRE MAGAZINE Fall 2025