GREENFIELD — Those struggling to feed themselves and their families have meal options in Greenfield, Turners Falls and Orange thanks to the Franklin County Community Meals Program (FCCMP), and for the past two months, Brad’s Place owner Dan Devine has stepped up to provide about 200 meals a week.
“Rachel Berggren at FCCMP came to me and asked if we could help out,” Devine said. “She said she had a grant to offset the cost of the food.”
Devine gets help on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from his son Thomas, daughter Sarah and wife, Kim, who take turns helping cook and package meals that are later distributed at the Second Congregational Church across from the Greenfield Common.
“I usually need one other person to help each day we do this,” he said. “Typically we provide 85 to 100 meals each of the two days lately.”
Devine said people are really struggling and need a hot meal once or twice a week, at the very least. He has been told some get as many as they can, including the two meals he provides.
“There are all sorts of people picking up meals,” he said. “People who have never had to do this are asking for help.”
Devine said he begins cooking for the meal program just before closing at 2 p.m. and continues late into the afternoon, when Berggren and her team pick up the meals and deliver them to the church.
Like the food he serves his customers at Brad’s Place, Devine packages up meatloaf, Swedish meatballs, lasagna, beef stew, chili, baked ham, hot dogs and beans, and more for the meals program.
“It feels so good to help,” he said. “It’s nice to see people, businesses, agencies jump in to help our neighbors.”
Berggren said she decided to use a $5,000 COVID-19 relief grant from Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts to not only help feed hungry people in Greenfield, but to help a local restaurant that hasn’t yet opened for indoor dining as a result of the pandemic.
“I was so excited to connect with Brad’s Place,” Berggren said. “We never ceased feeding people during the pandemic, but we had to change the way we did things. First, we offered nonperishable bags of food to people, and then we formed small partnerships to get through and provide curbside pickup meals.”
She said the Franklin County Community Meals Program has been working with the Second Congregational Church to reopen the kitchen so that volunteers can cook there and bring the food outside for pickup. She said some people don’t feel comfortable yet going into a small kitchen with others, so they find other ways to help.
“We don’t have a long-term solution,” she said. “We’re working on that and have been for some time.”
Berggren said the meals program realized it had to create a “new normal,” so it approached Devine. The nonprofit is also talking with other business owners about doing what they can.
“We’re looking at having symbiotic relationships,” she said. “Local restaurants get the help they need to get through these unprecedented times and we feed people at the same time.”
Berggren said it costs between $250 and $300 to sponsor 100 meals for a day, so individuals, businesses or groups can sponsor on Tuesdays and Wednesdays — it can be a regular or one-time sponsorship.
“We’re always looking for volunteer groups like local clubs, banks, agencies and organizations who want to help in some way,” she said. “They can either cook or donate the money for a meal. Whatever works for them.”
She said what’s most important is that the meals program is providing whatever volunteers need to make them feel safe, whether it’s a way to donate and not have to gather, or taking safety measures and precautions if they do get together in person to cook meals.
“Now that we’ve brainstormed, come up with the idea to pay Brad’s to be a caterer and put a model in place, it will be much easier to fill slots to get these meals out,” she said. “This is just another way that reflects how important it is to look closely at our direct community. Brad’s is near the church, so everything runs smoothly when we’re doing a meal. That means there’s little stress.”
To volunteer or donate in Greenfield, call 413-772-1033 or email fccmp.ma@gmail.com.