Immigrant Center Legal Aid Campaign

The more than 10,000 immigrants living in Berkshire County make up more than 40 percent of business owners in downtown Pittsfield and 20 percent in Williamstown.

The Berkshire Eagle reports that according to Brooke Mead, executive director of the Berkshire Immigrant Center, if they were to leave tomorrow, stores, restaurants and hotels would shutter and labor shortages would soar.

That's the idea behind the Berkshire Immigrant Center's 10,000 Strong Campaign, which is an effort kicked off this month to raise $10,000 to put toward legal aid offered to the region's immigrant population.