Worker Dionisio Kelly, left, board member Kenny Warren, Executive Director Jessica Jones, and Food and Services Director Karen Ryan.
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — It's a new year, and The Christian Center is looking at how it can serve the area in 2026 and beyond.
This includes a possible new name fueled by community forums in late January and early February.
"We're hoping people will come in and talk about the name, talk about what programs, what services they would like to see from us. What would be most meaningful," Executive Director Jessica Jones said.
"Because the population in this area has changed quite a bit, and we no longer serve just the West Side. We serve people from other parts of Berkshire County. So the hope is just to make it more inclusive."
The Christian Center was a stop on Berkshire Community College and NAACP Berkshires' Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service.
The nonprofit will hold three input sessions at 193 Robbins Ave. to inform future programs and branding, and ensure that West Side voices are heard.
The sessions will be held on:
Saturday, Jan. 31, from 10 to 11:30 a.m.
Thursday, Feb. 5, from 5:30 to 7 p.m.
Tuesday, Feb. 10, from 10 a.m. to 11:30 p.m.
The center dates back to the early 1890s, when it was the Epworth Mission started by the Methodist Church to serve newly arrived immigrants and help them assimilate. The Christian Center was incorporated in 1974.
Over the decades, it has drifted away from a faith-based organization to a space for anyone who needs a meal, a warm jacket, a place to bring their child, or a meeting place. A space for everyone.
This is what center officials wanted reflected in the name.
"[The Christian Center] has always done food and clothing and kind of basic needs specifically focused on immigrants, but for the entire community," Jones explained.
"They also used to have more youth programming, which is something we're hoping to get back to."
She noted that people sometimes don't come in because they think the center is for people who identify as Christians.
"If we want this to be a place for the community, then we have to be what they need," she added.
The Christian Center has recently seen renovations to its main dining and pantry room, as well as its kitchen and larger infrastructure. The ceiling was replaced about a year ago, and the kitchen floors were redone in October. In the future, the hope is to pave the parking lot.
While the center doesn't receive federal funding, it is impacted by increased need when benefits such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program are cut, or if the larger food bank loses funding. The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, funded in part by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, provides a majority of the center's food.
The Robbins Avenue facility is one of the only meal sites that is open for two meals a day, five days a week. There is also a store upstairs where community members can shop for free.
Between July 2024 and 2025, nearly 7,000 individuals accessed the food pantry, and more than 4,600 lunches were served. There are 15,800 food-insecure Berkshire County residents, 45 percent of county households are food-insecure, and 33 percent of food-insecure residents do not qualify for food assistance.
The longest government shutdown in American history spanned more than 40 days between October and November 2025. The Christian Center served nearly 140 new families in November and almost 110 new families in December.
Thankfully, they also saw an increase in individual donations from concerned community members. Though overall, there has been an observation that food donations aren't as large as they used to be, which is attributed to widespread economic hardships.
Community members can get involved with The Christian Center through monetary and item donations, as well as volunteer hours. Nonperishable food items, sanitary items, and baby diapers are always appreciated.
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