As hunger rates continue to rise, Community Meals Program successfully relaunched the Hope Against Hunger Auction for the first time since COVID.
The Hope Against Hunger Auction is an annual benefit event that brings the community together to raise support for a community-based, hunger-relief organization, the Franklin County Community Meals Program (FCCMP). After several years of navigating the pandemic, FCCMP relaunched this important event in September to build community and raise funds to support their essential on the ground programs.
Franklin County Community Meals Program (FCCMP) is a 501(c)3 non-profit whose mission is to work in partnership with the community to alleviate hunger. Through four free community meal sites, two food pantries, and a mobile food bank, FCCMP serves over 26,000 meals per year, and distributes 250,000-plus pounds of food to thousands of families in our community. FCCMP brings people together as neighbors to build community around the dinner table. They invite any and all to “join us in community as we feed and lift each other up.”
A recent study by the Greater Boston Food Bank found that the number of food insecure people rose by 200,000 since last year, with now 32% of the state’s population struggling to get enough to eat. This exceeded the estimates of 16.4% (more than double pre-pandemic numbers) made by Project Bread in March. But both demonstrate the hardships being faced by communities across Massachusetts. The driving force behind this is the impact of rising inflation and the disappearance of pandemic-era assistance programs. With rising gas prices, grocery prices, ballooning housing costs, and more, people just can’t make ends meet.
The auction brought together people from all walks of life to participate in building community together. It was a fun evening full of delicious food, great conversation and most importantly, pooling resources to ensure the wellbeing of the community during these challenging times. The organization raised over $18,000, all of which will go toward building food security for the Franklin County community.
The work of FCCMP is made possible by community members who join the organization in its mantra “Neighbors Nourishing Neighbors.” The event exemplified this motto in that it was made possible thanks to businesses donating auction items to community members who showed up to give, to the exceptional support of the Hawks & Reed staff, and of course the generosity of business sponsors. FCCMP sponsors for this event include Greenfield Savings Bank, Law Office of Attorney Daniel Graves, Jumptown Skydiving, Hayden Roofing Co., Covestro LLC, Pete’s Tire Barn, Snow & Sons Tree & Landscaping, Gilmore & Farrell Insurance Agency Inc., the United Arc, and Athol Savings Bank.
For more information about how to partner with FCCMP to alleviate hunger in Franklin County, please contact Rachel Berggren at 413-772-1033 or rberggren@fccmp.org. To donate, make checks payable to FCCMP; PO Box 172, Greenfield MA 01302 or go to fccmp.org/donate.
Rachel Berggren is executive director of the Franklin County Community Meals Program.