Over the summer, CHP’s Family Services department underwent an exciting rebranding and is now known as Community Services. The choice to rebrand came from a desire to reflect that its programs and offerings are more inclusive of the entire Berkshire community and not limited to the traditional definition of “family.”
The Family Services department at CHP dates to the 1970s when CHP was Children’s Health Programs. The first executive director, Linda Small, worked to add parent support and childhood education services to the existing medical services structure. CHP continued to grow and support children and families across the Berkshires over the next three decades.
The needs of the Berkshire community continued to grow and transform. In 2000, after 25 years serving only children, CHP became Community Health Programs, a Federally Qualified Health Center providing healthcare to patients of all ages. Since then, the services provided to the community have expanded to now include food assistance, multiple food banks and distribution programs, fuel assistance, and health insurance navigator services. Recently, CHP staff decided that the department name felt limiting and didn’t reflect the full breadth of what is offered and who it is offered to.
The launch of the rebranding coincides with the opening of the new CHP Community Markets in Great Barrington and Adams. “Choosing the name Community Market emphasizes that the market is open to all members of our community. When the market opened in June, we realized we could use the excitement surrounding it as an opportunity to reenvision the entire department,” said Mary Feuer, Director of Community Services.
The new name and logo will visually tie together the Community Markets with the Community Services department and strengthen the identity and impact of these programs across our Berkshire community.
“Our goal with this rebranding is to ensure that our community knows that everyone is welcome to receive our services, regardless of their age or family size,” said Carrie Barth, Vice President for Advancement and Community Services. Many of our most vulnerable Berkshire neighbors are seniors living on fixed incomes and/or living alone, she explained. Single-income households face the same types of struggles as family households, and it will now be clearer that not just families with children can benefit from our programs and services.
A Community Market for All
One of the most important pieces of Community Services is food assistance for all. CHP was thrilled to recently celebrate the opening of the new Community Market at our Great Barrington campus. The Community Market is a supermarket-style food pantry that is open to all members of our community. Shoppers can select their own groceries that include fresh fruits and veggies, eggs, meat, milk and dairy
as well as shelf stable pantry items.
This project was made possible by the donations and support of numerous local community and state partners and a large individual donation from the estate of Jane Braus. On June 24th, CHP hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony to commemorate the official opening of the market with our community partners, staff, donors, and volunteers. It was a wonderful opportunity to celebrate everyone who made this project possible and capture the excitement of this new resource for Berkshire County. The Community Market has a new eye-catching logo that ties to the new Community Services rebrand.