The Right to Read

Submitted by the Literacy Network

The Literacy Network, LitNet, www.litnetsb.org, is a 34-year-old volunteer-based, nonprofit organization that provides free individualized reading, writing, and English language instruction to adult learners, both U.S. and foreign-born, in Berkshire County, MA. The mission of Literacy Network is to transform the lives of adult learners through the power of literacy, education, and advocacy. LitNet believes everyone has the right to an education.

LitNet will honor the Masiero Family of Guido’s Fresh Marketplace at its annual fundraising celebration, Generation to Generation: Honoring the Past, Inspiring the Future, which will be held at Drifters Bar & Restaurant at Bousquet Mountain on Friday, October 18, starting at 6 PM.

LitNet’s annual celebration is a significant source of funding for the organization’s free, flexible, and individualized tutoring programs in English for Speakers of Other Languages, US citizenship preparation, adult basic education, and first-generation college support. LitNet has served close to 350 individuals throughout 2025, 95% of whom are adults working on English language skills. Proceeds from the event will support LitNet’s general operations and ensure the continuation of its free and accessible programming.

The first Guido’s opened in Pittsfield in 1979. In 1995, a second store was added in Great Barrington, and each store has been expanded over the years. In 2023, brothers Christopher and Matthew Masiero handed down the business to their children, the next generation, cousins Anna, Nick, and Matt.

“The Masiero family doesn’t just bring excellent food to our community,” says LitNet’s Executive Director Leigh Doherty. “They are fair employers, and they give back generously to important causes in our towns. It seemed fitting to honor the Masieros, whose successful business has evolved over the years while maintaining its central core of sharing quality food. LitNet, too, is in a new generation, yet literacy, education, and opportunity remain at the center of our work.”

Limited tickets are still available. To purchase tickets or support LitNet, visit LitNet’s website at www.litnetsb.org/event or contact Leigh Doherty at ldoherty@litnetsb.org or call (413) 243-0471.

Approximately 400 attended the services at Congregational Church and the subsequent memorial at Berkshire Waldorf High School for the funeral of 20-year-old Wyeth Curtis, a former student who lost his life in early October. Photo: Patrick White