As more families seek the help of food assistance programs, local pantries across Franklin County are finding themselves in need of more freezers, refrigerators, shelving, shopping carts and storage space to keep up with demand.
Now, six Franklin County food pantries have received grants from the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts to help them purchase equipment and make improvements that will allow them to distribute more food and serve more people. In all, 25 grants totaling $66,000 were awarded to sites across western Massachusetts, with Hampden County programs receiving $34,588, Hampshire County programs getting $6,670, Berkshire County programs receiving $8,278 and Franklin County programs getting $16,463.
Naomi Desilets, agency resource coordinator for the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, explained that the grants are offered annually to member agencies — which include food pantries, meal sites, shelters and college campus pantries — but this year’s application process placed particular emphasis on how proposed projects could make food assistance more equitable, accessible and responsive to community needs. The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts received 35 applications for funding.
In Franklin County, the recipients are using their grants to address storage and accessibility challenges. Desilets said even something like a glass refrigerator can increase dignity and choice by allowing people to see what food is available, particularly when language barriers make communication more difficult. The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts has also seen pantries use grants to purchase translation devices and other equipment aimed at improving the experience for visitors.
The Hilltown Churches Food Pantry received $1,640, which Board President Patricia Thayer said will help with storage capacity. The pantry reached a point where the “shelves were busting full before distribution,” she said, and the grant will help pay for another freezer, wagons and carts for moving larger boxes of food.
The pantry operates out of the basement of the First Congregational Church in Ashfield, while additional storage space is available in Conway. Thayer said the pantry has continued expanding its storage as the number of people it serves has grown.
During its most recent distribution, the pantry served 122 families, representing more than 500 people. According to Thayer, that number has increased by about one-third over the past three years. Hilltown Churches Food Pantry distributes food every other Tuesday and also works with the Mary Lyon Foundation to provide food to families with children.
Thayer said the pantry has never had to turn someone away and does not require people to meet a particular prerequisite to receive food.
“You need food, you come and get food,” she said.
Meanwhile, the Northfield Regional Food Pantry operated out of Dickinson Memorial Library received $5,000 toward the purchase of a new freezer.
Chair Steve Roberto said the pantry has seen an increase in both the number of people coming through its doors and the amount of fresh and frozen food it receives. Before the new freezer, the pantry already had three upright freezers and two chest freezers, but still needed additional space.
The pantry averaged about 50 families per opening last year. That number rose to 70, 80 and eventually 86 families, as changes and cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and other programs impacted residents. Roberto said participation has since settled somewhat, at roughly 60 to 70 families per distribution, but remains volatile.
For Roberto, the goal is straightforward: having enough food available for anyone who needs it.
“If you’re in need, the bar is virtually zero,” he said, encouraging residents to use the pantry, rather than feel embarrassed about seeking assistance.
The Center for Self-Reliance is taking a different approach with its $2,050 grant, using the money to purchase approximately 15 to 20 heavy-duty shopping carts. Food Pantry Manager Cheo Ramos explained the carts are an important part of making the pantry operate more like a grocery store.
The Center for Self-Reliance operates locations in Greenfield and Shelburne Falls and uses a client-choice model, allowing shoppers to select the food they want and leave behind items they do not need. Shoppers move through areas containing produce, meat, dairy and shelf-stable foods before taking their selections to their vehicles.
The previous carts could be difficult to maintain, particularly during winter weather, and could break under the weight of large amounts of food. For people with disabilities, older adults or anyone struggling to carry heavy boxes, Ramos said the carts also provide greater stability and make it easier to move food through the pantry and out to the parking lot.
To view the full list of grant recipients, visit foodbankwma.org/food-pantries-awarded-66000-in-capacity-building-grants.
The equipment grants come as food pantries confront what Desilets describes as continuing increase in demand. She said pantries are increasingly concerned that higher demand is not simply a temporary spike, but rather a new normal. As changes to programs such as SNAP and Medicaid affect residents’ access to assistance, food pantries are being asked to help fill some of the gap.
But food banks and pantries cannot replace federal food assistance programs on their own, said Deb Ondo, communications and engagement manager with the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, making the ability of local pantries to expand their capacity increasingly important.
For community members looking to help, Desilets recommends contacting their local pantry before donating. The most useful contributions may vary depending on the pantry’s current needs and available storage space. In some cases, monetary donations may allow a pantry to make a larger, more strategic purchase.
Across the county, the grants are helping local organizations prepare for the immediate needs of their communities while also planning for the future.
For Thayer, that means continuing to find ways to grow alongside the number of people who rely on the Hilltown Churches Food Pantry.
“It’s too important to fail,” she said.
