Robin Roraback
Fishes and Loaves Food Pantry in Canaan has an inviting array of fresh produce from area farms at this time of year, as well as their usual food staples.
The director of the pantry, Louise Riley, is concerned that people who could use the pantry are not. “We believe that many residents may not realize they qualify and would like to increase their awareness in order for Fishes and Loaves to assist more families,” Riley said.
Their mission is to “feed those in need in Canaan, Falls Village, and Norfolk.” The pantry is located at The Pilgrim House, 30 Granite Avenue in Canaan. Those who are eligible can come once a week and select food.
With notification the volunteers and staff can accommodate food allergies, vegetarian diets, and gluten free diets. Those with diabetic or low-sodium or other restricted diets are urged to come in to pick foods that suit their needs.
“We deliver to clients unable to come in person, due to a physical disability or lack of transportation,” Riley said.
“People can register by coming to the pantry during our distribution hours,” she said. “They are required to provide their name, address, phone number and number of household members. They are shown the table of income limits and asked to verbally attest that their income falls within the guidelines — we do not require written documentation.”
She explained the limits: “A household of one person can qualify for assistance if they make up to $45,180 in annual gross income; a household of two with income up to $61,320; those with three people with income up to $77,460. The pattern, adding $16,140 per additional person, continues; for example, a household of eight may have an income of up to $158,160 per annum and qualify for assistance.”
Fishes and Loaves is open on Tuesday from 4-6pm and Thursday from 12-2pm. Anyone with questions can call 860-824-7232 or email fishesandloavespantry@gmail.com.
Bunny McGuire, at center holding the big scissors, surrounded by her family as she cuts the ribbon to the park that now bears her name in North Canaan on Saturday, June 7.
NORTH CANAAN — The park on Main Street in North Canaan was officially renamed Bunny McGuire Park at a ceremony beneath the pavilion Saturday, June 7.
Clementine “Bunny” McGuire was recognized for her lifelong commitment to volunteerism in town. Her civil contributions include work with the Beautification Committee, the Douglas Library, the historical society, a poll worker, an employee of North Canaan Elementary and Housatonic Valley Regional High Schools and a volunteer at her church.
“People like Bunny are the lifeblood of small towns and we should all be grateful for the bountiful benefits we have derived from having this vital and generous force in our midst,” said Kathryn Boughton, town historian.
First Selectman Brian Ohler described McGuire as, “A person whose name is truly synonymous with service, kindness, civility and generosity.”
First Selectman Brian Ohler praised McGuire for her impact on the town. "Bunny, you are so, so loved," Ohler said. "The outpouring of suppourt is not a surprise."Photo by Riley Klein
Ohler noted the impact McGuire has had on the town, as evidenced by the nearly 100 guests in attendance and the long list of donors who contributed to updating the facilities at the park.
“Bunny, you are so, so loved. The outpouring of support is not a surprise,” said Ohler.
Among the recent improvements include a new dog park fenced area, basketball hoops, updated playground, parking lot pavement, landscaping, new signage, paint and lighting for the pavilion.
“Everyone says I have done so much for the town, but this town has done so much for me,” said McGuire. “Just look around you, what we have,” she said tearfully. “A big thank you to all of you. I love you.”
SHARON — Angela Derrick Carabine, 74, died May 16, 2025, at Vassar Hospital in Poughkeepsie, New York. She was the wife of Michael Carabine and mother of Caitlin Carabine McLean.
A funeral Mass will be celebrated on June 6 at 11:00 a.m. at Saint Katri (St Bernards Church) Church. Burial will follow at St. Bernards Cemetery. A complete obituary can be found on the website of the Kenny Funeral home kennyfuneralhomes.com.
Sam Waterston
On June 7 at 3 p.m., the Triplex Cinema in Great Barrington will host a benefit screening of “The Killing Fields,” Roland Joffé’s 1984 drama about the Khmer Rouge and the two journalists, Cambodian Dith Pran and New York Times correspondent Sydney Schanberg, whose story carried the weight of a nation’s tragedy.
The film, which earned three Academy Awards and seven nominations — including one for Best Actor for Sam Waterston — will be followed by a rare conversation between Waterston and his longtime collaborator and acclaimed television and theater director Matthew Penn.
“This came out of the blue,” Waterston said of the Triplex invitation, “but I love the town, I love this area. We raised our kids here in the Northwest Corner and it’s been good for them and good for us.”
Waterston hasn’t seen the film in decades but its impact has always remained present.
“It was a major event in my life at the time,” Waterston said of filming “The Killing Fields,” “and it had a big influence on me and my life ever after.” He remembers the shoot vividly. “My adrenaline was running high and the part of Sydney Schanberg was so complicated, so interesting.”
Waterston lobbied for the role of the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist for years, tracing his early interest to a serendipitous connection while filming in England. Even before Joffé’s production was greenlit, he had his sights set on playing the role. “I knew I wanted the part for years even before it was a movie that was being produced.”
What followed was not just critical acclaim, but also a political awakening. “The film gave all of us an intimate acquaintance with refugees, what it is to be a refugee, how the world forgets them and what a terrible crime that is.”
In Boston, at a press stop for the film, two women asked Waterston a pointed question: now that he knew what he knew, what was he going to do about it? “I said, ‘Well, you know, I’m an actor, so I thought I’d go on acting.’ And they said, ‘No, that’s not what you need to do. You need to join Refugees International.’” And join he did, serving on the organization’s board for 25 years.
Both Schanberg and Dith Pran, whose life the film also chronicles, were “cooperative and helpful … in a million ways,” Waterston said. Upon first meeting Pran, Waterston recalled, “He came up to me, made a fist, and pounded on my chest really hard and said, ‘You must understand that Sydney is very strong here.’ He was trying to plant something in me.”
There were more tender gestures, too. Schanberg used the New York Times wire to relay that Waterston’s wife had just given birth while he was filming in Thailand, adding to the personal and emotional connection to the production.
Though “The Killing Fields” is a historical document, its truths still resonate deeply today. “Corruption is a real thing,” Waterston warned. “Journalism is an absolutely essential part of our democracy that is as under siege today as it was then. It’s different now but it’s the same thing of ‘Don’t tell the stories we don’t want heard.’ Without journalists, we are dust in the wind.” Waterston added, “Democracy is built on the consent of the governed but the other thing it’s built on is participation of the governed and without full participation, democracy really doesn’t stand much of a chance. It’s kind of a dead man walking.”
When asked what he hopes the audience will take away from the screening, Waterston didn’t hesitate. “This is the story that puts the victims of war at the center of the story and breaks your heart. I think that does people a world of good to have their hearts broken about something that’s true. So, I hope that’s what the impact will be now.”
Tickets for the benefit screening are available at www.thetriplex.org. Proceeds support Triplex Cinema, a nonprofit home for film and community programming in the Berkshires.
