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Date: 10/25/2022
HADLEY – Pinz Entertainment in Hadley will feature the Western Mass. Ghostbusters on Oct. 30 for a fundraiser to benefit the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts.
The fundraiser will run from 2 p.m. until 4 p.m., but Pinz General Manager Jason Breault said they are not asking for money. Instead, any donation of a non-perishable food item will earn customers a $5 card to use at the arcade.
“We are not asking for money during this fundraiser, though any money will go directly to the Food Bank,” Breault said. “With rising costs of food and gasoline, not everyone is able to eat the way they should and can afford to put food on the tables. I’m hoping people come out and give what they can.”
Breault is also a member of the Western Mass. Ghostbusters and said their goal is to raise money for all types of organizations. This is the second fundraiser at Pinz that Breault has hosted, saying his goal was to make this an annual tradition around Halloween.
“With the cold weather coming, no person should go hungry,” Breault said. “I’m hoping that making this an annual thing will get people excited about it yearly. Plus, it’s around Halloween so the spooky ghouls and ghosts can come donate, too.”
One possible roadblock is the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts said it is currently not able to accept food drive donations due to a lack of space to store the items.
Breault does not have a backup plan should the Food Bank continue to be fully stocked, saying he expects space to open up as winter approaches.
Still, the Food Bank’s Director of Philanthropy Jillian Morgan said the number of individuals seeking food assistance has been steadily increasing as prices of food and housing continue to bloom.
Morgan said that number has surged from about 81,000 people in February to a preliminary count of 97,000 in August.
“Many individuals and families may be facing the impossible choice between paying for food, rent or medical care,” Morgan said. “When you give back to the Food Bank through donating or volunteering, you help feed children, families and seniors throughout Western Massachusetts who are facing food insecurity.”
According to Morgan, the Food Bank is able to provide four meals with every dollar donated. Morgan said that even with the shelves fully stocked, people can still help through volunteering, donating, or “using your voice to advocate for change.”
Morgan said the Food Bank is always grateful to see organizations, businesses, individuals and leisure groups finding various ways to raise awareness on the ways that food insecurity affects the region. To Morgan, a successful event means community members are more engaged with the Food Bank’s mission than they were before.
“We know that it will take the work of many to work together to mobilize to not only help meet the immediate needs of people struggling with food insecurity today but to help us realize a future where hunger doesn’t exist,” Morgan said.
For Breault, he said he’s a “firm believer” in treating people the way you want to be treated, saying giving back to the community in any way he can is the ultimate goal.
“If you’re doing something for a good cause you might as well have fun while doing it, right?” Breault said.