The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts provides individuals facing hunger with the food they need to survive and leads communities towards long-term solutions to the problem of hunger in our region. Serving the four counties of Western Massachusetts, The Food Bank is the leading provider of emergency food that reaches individuals and families with lower incomes. We are committed to working with our community to reduce hunger and increase food security.
This winter, The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts is tracking a trend among emergency food sites—like meal sites, pantries and shelters—that more households are seeking food assistance for the first time, and that those households are relying on food assistance for longer periods of time than they have in the past. Due to chronic under- and unemployment, furloughs, or low wages that aren’t enough to cover basic household expenses, more people are visiting their local pantry or meal site regularly to make their food dollars stretch. The emergency food system has become part of the “new normal” pattern for meeting their everyday food needs.
Some pantries are running out of food to serve households seeking ongoing food assistance. A number of agencies have been forced to amend their hours or distribute smaller amounts of food. There is a particular shortage in high-protein, fresh products that are essential to helping food-insecure families, especially those with children, meet their basic dietary needs.
The Food Bank relies on support from the community to help out during the winter season, and all year long. Food drives are a great way to help us stock up on much-needed non-perishable foods. In addition, our Virtual Food Drive tools allows donors to leverage their dollars exponentially. For every $1 donated through a Virtual Food Drive, The Food Bank can distribute $13 worth of food. More information about making a donation and organizing food drives can be found on The Food Bank website: www.foodbankwma.org
Press Contact: Andrew Morehouse (andrewm@foodbankwma.org)
Donor Contact: Robin Claremont
Development & Communications Manager
413-247-9738 x107
robinc@foodbankwma.org
The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts
97 North Hatfield Road / PO Box 160
Hatfield, MA 01038