Local organizations preparing for financially difficult winter

Date: 11/15/2022

WESTERN MASS. – With a difficult winter expected due to an increase in prices for everything across the board, local food pantries and organizations are preparing for the difficult times ahead by accepting donations, preparing food drives and more.

Reminder Publishing reached out to several organizations across Hampden and Hampshire County to discuss what the needs are going to be this year and if they anticipate a higher need for food resources.

Amherst Survival Center, 138 Sunderland Rd., Amherst

The Amherst Survival Center (ASC) is a community resource providing free prepared meals and groceries to those in need throughout Franklin and Hampshire counties, as well as a warming center, resource center and a walk-in medical clinic. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, rising inflation and costs, as well as supply chain issues, the ASC has seen its attendees significantly increase over the past year, and is gearing up for what could potentially be a difficult winter.

Executive Director of the ASC Lev Ben-Ezra defined food insecurity as when people “do not have access to sufficient food to live a healthy life.” She said that a food insecurity crisis was brewing prior to COVID-19, but that the coronavirus pandemic fanned its flames and exacerbated the entire situation.

“Project Bread estimates that prior to the [coronavirus] pandemic, about 8.2 percent of Massachusetts residents were food insecure, and at the peak of the pandemic it reached 19.6 percent. Throughout the pandemic it was anywhere from 12 or 13 percent all the way to that 19 percent number. Statewide, what we’re looking at right now is a food insecurity rate of 16.6 percent...[This is] as of September, and it’s on the rise…For families with kids across the commonwealth, in August their food insecurity rate rose to 26.2 percent...All of these families need places to turn, such as our local meal sites and food pantries,” said Ben-Ezra.

These dynamics play out in real time at the ASC. According to Ben-Ezra, there have been significant increases in first-time registration for families, and demand has skyrocketed.

“Since July, which is the start of our fiscal year we have served close to 4,800 unique individuals, and that compares to 3,700 in the same time frame last year,” Ben-Ezra said. “In October we served an average of 324 prepared lunches per day, versus 266 in October 2021, and 80 to 100 per day before the [coronavirus] pandemic…In October we served a total of 9,594 prepared meals, which included 5,500 full lunches, plus additional breakfasts and snacks.”

However, she said that this is not even the heaviest impact on the center compared to the state of the food pantry.

“The supply chain issues impact us the most in our food pantry. In October 2022, we served 2,300 people in the food pantry compared to 1,900 in October 2021. Based on current trends and the surges we always see in November and December, we’re anticipating serving potentially as much as 2,700 people this month in the pantry specifically,” she said.

Previous allotments in the pantry proved to be insufficient for many shoppers. Prior to COVID-19, Ben-Ezra said “households that shopped in the food pantry received around five to seven days worth of food per household member per month. During the [coronavirus] pandemic we were able to increase that to 10 days per month…now, allowing people to return twice in a month…increases the amount of food people can receive to roughly 14 days worth.”

This has led to a greater demand for donations.

“The increase in numbers has meant that we’re needing to get much more food…we’re certainly seeing supply chains and the cost of food impact our donations from all sources, whether that be the variety of food, or the quantities we’re receiving…As a result, we’ve had to purchase more food directly and we’re putting calls out to community members, businesses and school groups, etc., that now is a great time to conduct food drives for us, that really helps. We have sufficient quantities of food in place but the variety of what’s being offered, particularly with the various canned goods, is more limited. Those individual and group donations make an enormous difference…and really means that [shoppers} can leave with more food that works for them,” Ben-Ezra said.

Only 3 to 6 percent of the ASC’s total funding comes from government grants. Ben-Ezra said that “well over half” of the center’s cash funding comes from individual donations, and that “in kind” donations – meaning donations of actual food or supplies – are “well more than our total financial contributions.” Overhead costs still exist in the ASC as in a for-profit business, and the government programs which provided extra support during the [coronavirus] pandemic are coming to an end. As such, The center is looking to the community for support covering the gaps.

“Our big needs right now are monetary donations in all shapes and sizes…we also need volunteers…We rely heavily on our volunteer workforce. Amazing, committed volunteers. We have between 150 and 200 volunteer shifts every week that are filled by community members. We are actively seeking volunteers right now,” said Ben-Ezra.

She instructed anyone interested to make donations and/or to volunteer.

“Anyone that wants to make a donation can do so at amherstsurvivalcenter.org/donate and to get involved with volunteering or food drives please email info@amherstsurvival.org …we will follow up immediately…The donations that are most needed right now are pasta, rice, cereal, peanut butter, as well as monetary donations…The vast majority of our volunteer shifts are between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. on weekdays, although we do have some other options available,“ she said.

Regardless of the challenges being faced by the center, Ben-Ezra encouraged anyone in need to come to the ASC for support.

“I want everyone reading this to know that despite the challenges we are acknowledging, we have food, we are open and we really welcome anyone for whom free meals or free groceries would be helpful. Please come in…Whether it’s occasionally or something that would benefit your family frequently, we really welcome people coming in. We would love to show you around, let you know all the offerings and leave with resources that can help.”

While she did not deny the long road ahead, Ben-Ezra was optimistic and grateful for the community’s help and engagement.

“We look ahead to this late fall and winter, I think we know that it is going to be really challenging for many of our neighbors and also the Amherst Survival Center. I am incredibly appreciative to our entire broader community for the support that I am confident will [come in]. It’s already coming in and it will continue to come in via volunteers and donations and food drives that folks are hosting to help make sure that we have everything that we need in place to serve folks that are coming…We really have the community to thank for that; this community has continued to show up for Amherst Survival Center and for all of our neighbors who make sure this resource exists,” Ben-Ezra said.
The Amherst Survival Center is fully open, meaning all its services are available, on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. The food pantry stays open until 7 p.m. on Thursdays, and is also open on the third Saturday of each month from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Scheduled curbside pickup is available from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. after the site closes on weekdays, and grocery delivery is available upon email (listed above) request throughout the 13 towns served by the pantry. The ASC is located at 138 Sunderland Rd. in North Amherst.

Neighbors Helping Neighbors, 30 Carew St., South Hadley

Neighbors Helping Neighbors in Holyoke goes through extra preparation during the holiday season as they look to use holidays as opportunities to help those in need in what can be a challenging time of year.

According to Volunteer Coordinator at South Hadley Neighbors Helping Neighbors Julie Gentile, the EMS Departments of South Hadley and Granby have been doing turkey drives for the Thanksgiving season and have started taking donations for those in need during the holiday. Other town municipalities have also begun collecting donations on behalf of the pantry.

“Our South Hadley Council on Aging collected 435 pounds of Thanksgiving items for us. We want to give our customers what they need to celebrate the holidays,” said Gentile.

While the official turkey drive being run by the two communities’ EMS departments is nearing an end, people are still free to donate turkeys or anything on Wednesdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. or Saturday from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. Any donation is greatly appreciated year-round for the pantry, but especially during the holiday season.

Neighbors Helping Neighbors, Inc. opened its doors in 2011 in the United Methodist Church at 30 Carew St., where they now serve about 150 families a month. The organization provides between six to eight days of food each month for each household member with support from food drives, fundraising and the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts.

Fresh vegetables from the Food Pantry Garden – a space within the South Hadley Community Garden – are available in season. The pantry also provides personal care products, household products and dog and cat food when available.

Gentile added they have definitely seen challenges as prices for goods have increased over the last year. Still, the organization has seen new customers and returning customers come back for the assistance provided. She added that with gas, food and utilities still going up, they don’t see their numbers stabilizing.

Priding themselves on being a client choice pantry, staples like soup, cereal, oatmeal, pasta, tomato products and canned meats are always needed.

“Need does not happen by seasons, for us it is year-round. Life changes can happen very quickly, especially financially, and we try to be prepared for whoever may need us,” Gentile said. “No one is allowed to go hungry.”

Northampton Survival Center 265 Prospect St., Northampton/Hilltown Pantry 40 Main St., Goshen

The Hilltown Pantry in Goshen and the Northampton Survival Center on 265 Prospect St. have been operating for well over four decades as emergency food pantries that help connect people with different social services.

Outside of food, they also provide toiletries and pet food when available while simultaneously acting as a referral service for people who need information on anything from housing to domestic violence services.

The Hilltown Pantry typically receives food donations from the Western Mass. Food Bank or outside community donations. When the holiday season rolls around, there is usually a spike in the amount of donations they receive, according to Diane Drohan, the volunteer manager at the Northampton Survival Center and pantry manager for the Hilltown Pantry.

“Most of the donations we receive during the holiday season are from people who are doing local food drives,” said Drohan. “It could be a food drive that brings in 50 pounds of food or a drive that brings in 100. That would be more typical for the Hilltown Pantry.”

Because they receive the majority of their food from the Food Bank, Drohan said that Hilltown tries to encourage people to conduct drives for other items like toiletries and financial donations.

“The local churches will also participate in their own food drive, and they will donate the food to us,” said Drohan. “We also put together an additional bag of food that we offer for the entire month of November.”

According to Drohan, the amount of people who need help usually increases around the holiday season. From January to October, Drohan said there are typically 85 families they serve monthly, or 160 individuals. But in November and December, that number increases about 10 to 15 percent.

“We will see clients who will specifically come in November and December,” said Drohan.

With a rise in food prices recently, Drohan said she is starting to notice more people in the Hilltowns return to the pantry after not visiting for a few months.

“They are all saying the same thing,” said Drohan. “They say that they’re having a hard time putting gas in their car…I’ve seen an increase in people [visiting] since September as a direct result of an increase in food prices.”

Because of the coronavirus pandemic, the Hilltown Pantry and Northampton Survival Center continue to operate through curbside pickup, a drive-thru program, along with deliveries for homebound people.

According to Heidi Nortonsmith, the executive director of the Survival Center, people can also order their food online and pick it up during a short appointment window.

“Each of those different modes meets people different needs,” said Nortonsmith.

The survival center is gearing up for what they expect to be a “busy” holiday season, though Nortonsmith said it will be difficult to forecast the overall need this holiday season compared to the coronavirus pandemic years since that period was more time-specific.

Despite that, Nortonsmith said the goal is to have holiday-specific items for the drive-thru and delivery programs. “We’re looking to go to specific housing sites to have a table with other community partners where we have those seasonal and holiday foods available so folks who want to come down from their apartment and make selection,” said Nortonsmith. “For folks who maybe can’t be there for that specific time, we’re having a distribution time at the center before the holidays so delivery folks can come by and pick up items for people.”

Nortonsmith encourages people to make financial donations since the holiday season can oftentimes create traffic problems in the center’s cramped parking lot. If people would like to make a food donation, they can call the center to set up the best time for drop-off to avoid conflict.

The center also receives donations from the Food Bank and retailers like Stop and Shop and Big Y.
But much like Hilltown, the Survival Center is feeling the effects of the rise in food and gas prices.

“Inflation has affected us considerably,” Nortonsmith said, adding that the center provides $1.5 million worth of food a year. “For the stuff that we do pay for, our dollars are not stretching as much as they once were.”

Providence Ministries, 51 Hamilton St., Holyoke

For Holyoke, Providence Ministries runs multiple programs in the city for those in need of meals. Full-service food pantry Margaret’s Pantry and noon-time meal service Kate’s Kitchen both continue to offer support to those in need with nutritional meals being offered.

Margaret’s Pantry is not client choice and prepares packages based on the size of the family receiving them. The pantry serves approximately 50-60 families a day according to Margaret’s Pantry Manager Brenda Lamagdeleine and each member gets about 75 pounds of food per person.

Lamagdeleine said the pantry has experienced some struggles getting certain items that normally are no issue getting in year’s past.

“We have had to reach out to the public for help in getting some of those items. It seems every year we seem to have a problem with getting soup and this year the same. We ran out of soup, tuna fish, canned meat, canned prepared meals along with many other items,” Lamagdeleine said.

November and December are usually the biggest months for donations for the pantry, but fear of the economy may be putting a damper on that since costs have increased according to Lamagdeleine.
Margaret’s Pantry accepts any non-perishable item during food drives and Lamagdeleine added while they have certain needs come up, they are typically able to answer those needs within days. They are also accepting donations through the holiday season as usual and accept donations via check made out to Margaret’s Pantry.

“I have been working here for 17 years and it never fails,” Lamagdeleine said about meeting the needs of the population they serve. “But I would say still soup, canned meat, desserts, meal makers such as stuffing, instant potatoes, pasta sides, hamburger helper, etc., and all the fixings to make a Thanksgiving meal.”

She added any donations of turkeys or other fresh items for the meals needs to be delivered to the pantry during hours of operation for proper storage.

As a result, Nortonsmith said that the center anticipates that they could be paying $75,000 to $100,000 more if they brought in the same amount of food this year as they did last year. “And that’s kind of our fundraising message this year,” said Nortonsmith. “We need a little bit more just to do the same amount.”