GREENFIELD — Having collected 221 bags of food and $3,000 in donations during last year’s Supper for Six food drive, organizers are setting their sights on reaching a $4,000 goal this year to meet increased need.
“Our fundraising goal is always to help as many people as possible,” said Charity Day, chair of Women’s Way, the affinity group of the United Way of the Franklin and Hampshire Region that is organizing the food drive.
With Supper for Six, which started in 2005, Women’s Way looks to ensure that local food pantries have plenty to offer during the February school vacation week. In a drive-thru format, volunteers will collect reusable grocery bags filled with nonperishable dinner ingredients for a family of six at the United Way office, located at 51 Davis St., from 4 to 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 1. Suggestions include pasta and sauce, beans and rice, and cooking oil and spices.
“Especially with the surge of omicron, we’re just trying to keep things similar to last year so we can keep donors and all the volunteers safe,” Jenny Coeur, program coordinator for the United Way of the Franklin and Hampshire Region, said of holding the collection in a drive-thru style for the second year. “We know there’s going to be a strong need for food again as the pandemic continues.”
Donors should wear a mask, and have bags easily accessible from trunks or back seats for volunteers to gather, a United Way press release states. Wednesday, Feb. 2, will serve as a snow date for the event, if needed.
Anyone who would like to donate bags of food but is unable to attend the drive-thru event may bring the bags to the United Way office on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
While many students excitedly anticipate school vacation, for struggling families, the break can equate to increased food insecurity. Coeur explained that, during vacation weeks, school food services do not run and visits to food pantries surge.
“School districts last year were kind of given an exception where they gave kids food over school vacations,” Coeur recalled. However, per Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) guidelines this year, those meals are not being offered, she said. “That particular need during those vacation weeks is probably going to be even greater than last year.”
The ongoing challenges of the pandemic continue to exacerbate this need for food as well, along with the cliff effect, Day explained — meaning when someone gets an increase in income but there’s a disproportionate loss of government assistance. Day noted some families are experiencing the cliff effect due to the recent increase in minimum wage to $14.25.
“Although the minimum wage has gone up, the limits for federal programs such as Head Start have not,” she explained. “The benefit of the food pantries is that, even though they do have income limits, they do have a bit of flexibility.”
Day, who has worked in social services for 20 years, noted that even small donations, like $5, can make a difference, particularly because food pantries can often buy their items at reduced rates.
“The majority of us are just one missed paycheck away from needing assistance,” she said. “It can happen so quickly, and I think all of us have received help from someone at one point or another in our lives.”
This year’s donations will benefit Big Brothers Big Sisters of Franklin County, Montague Catholic Social Ministries, The United Arc, the Mary Lyon Foundation, the Franklin County Community Meals Program, Greenfield’s Salvation Army and Community Action Pioneer Valley’s Center for Self-Reliance.
Individuals or businesses looking for more information, such as nonperishable item suggestions and other ways to donate, including online or by check, may visit uw-fh.org/womensway, call 413-584-3962 or email info@uw-fh.org.
Reach Shelby Ashline at
413-772-0261, ext. 270 or
sashline@recorder.com.