By Berkshire Community Action Council,By Deborah Leonczyk

Copyright berkshireeagle

For more than 40 years, Berkshire Community Action Council has been proud to run the ELF Program, ensuring that thousands of children in Berkshire County have the essentials they need to get through the cold winter months. Each year, families have counted on us to provide warm clothing and other necessities that protect children from the harsh New England weather and help ease the burden on parents who are already struggling to make ends meet.

This year, however, BCAC is facing a new fiscal reality. Due to significant cuts in funding and reductions in staffing, we have had to make difficult changes to how the ELF Program will be conducted. While the program will continue, the application process will look different in order to adapt to these challenges while still reaching the children and families who need it most.

Most importantly, if your household is enrolled in BCAC’s Fuel Assistance program, you will continue to apply directly through BCAC. Families applying through Fuel Assistance also should notify their partner agencies or schools so that duplicate applications can be avoided and services coordinated. This ensures that families who already qualify for heating help through us can still apply for ELF without any change, while keeping the process smooth for everyone involved.

For all other families, applications will now be taken through our trusted community partners, who already serve many of the same children and families. These partners include:

• 18 Degrees

• Child Care of the Berkshires

• Elizabeth Freeman Center

• Head Start

• Healthy Families

• ServiceNet

• Volunteers in Medicine

This new approach is designed to reduce the burden of paperwork for families. If you are receiving services through one of these partner agencies, or if your child is enrolled in a local school, eligibility can be verified without the need for additional documentation. Our goal is to make the process easier for families while ensuring the ELF Program remains sustainable with fewer staff resources.

We know these changes might feel different, but please know that BCAC remains deeply committed to the children and families of Berkshire County. The decision to shift applications was not made lightly. It is a necessary adjustment to preserve the ELF Program in the face of reduced funding so that thousands of local children can still count on having the warm clothing they need this winter.

The ELF Program has always been a community effort. It exists because of the generosity of donors, volunteers and the dedication of our partners. With your continued support, together we can keep children across the county warm, safe and cared for during the cold months ahead. We thank the community for standing with us during this time of transition. By working together, we can ensure that no child is left in the cold this winter.