Lorraine's Soup Kitchen receives grant, funding cuts
Date: 1/11/2013
By Debbie Gardner
debbieg@thereminder.comCHICOPEE — The food pantry at Lorraine's Soup Kitchen & Pantry got a boost to its food purchasing power through the recent receipt of $12,500 in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds.
Mayor Michael Bissonnette made the grant presentation to Kim Goulette, executive director of the pantry and soup kitchen, and Al Picard, president of its board of directors, at the 170 Pendexter Ave. facility on Jan 9.
Lorraine's was among a number of Chicopee service agencies, including Womanshelter/Compañeras, Massachusetts Elder Care, a home visitation program administered by the Chicopee Council on Aging, and an education program provided by the Valley Opportunity Council, to receive funding through the CDBG program, which is administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
Carl Dietz, director of Community Development, said Chicopee received approximately $1 million in CDGB funding this cycle, a cut of nearly 30 percent from the previous year. The monies directed to fund services at Lorraine's and other agencies represents 15 percent of the city's total CDBG award, he added.
During the presentation, Bissonnette noted that ensuring Lorraine's received its annual CDBG funding "reflects [the city's] commitment to provide resources for the community."
He added he hoped the timing of the presentation would serve "as a reminder that need didn't begin with the holidays or end when the holidays were over. It's a 12-month need."
Goulette, who noted Lorraine's food pantry is now serving between 50 and 60 residents a day Monday to Friday — up from approximately 30 individuals daily in 2010 — said the money would be used to purchase pantry supplies for distribution to Chicopee residents.
She added that during the past two years the food pantry has seen a steady increase in clients who are either underemployed or have recently lost unemployment benefits. She said a significant number of these new needy indicate they have never needed to ask for help before.
Picard, who observed this year's CDBG allocation represented a nearly 40 percent cut in federal funds, said Lorraine's board of directors is working on a marketing plan to help the soup kitchen and food pantry identify and approach more fundraising resources.
Goulette acknowledged that Lorraine's is operating at a deficit, but that the generosity of Chicopee residents is helping the nonprofit organization to reduce its debt.
"Unfortunately, HUD funding has been cut at the federal level and that is affecting everybody," Goulette said. "We need to get this message out to our state representatives and congressmen."
