When county schools closed March 13, Jenny Schwartz quickly became a liaison of sorts between schools and community partners, with representatives from about 15 groups who have been meeting regularly via Zoom to gain traction on the myriad challenges surrounding food insecurity.
A growing sea of similar stories that swell amid these trying times - when kids are out of school, parents are out of work, and the infrastructure of community that so many rely upon in order to survive feels tenuous at best.
People of all descriptions shop at the Pantry and some don’t speak English. The Pantry has translators who can help. When a new client shows up, a volunteer will escort them around and talk about the availability of different items.
The program reaches underserved populations throughout western Massachusetts that don’t have access to healthy foods, including families, seniors and children.
I can’t help but think that anyone struggling to find work, or get their life back on track after a personal catastrophe or trauma, should be encouraged to do so, not castigated and starved.
In Berkshire County, roughly 10 percent of residents are food insecure, which means they do not have reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food.
In an effort to meet the needs of patients facing life stresses and more serious trauma needs, Community Health Programs has added behavioral health professionals at most of its medical practice locations.
The pilot program, modeled on what a lot of markets across the country do, is rooted in a fundamental belief: The rich, local agriculture system belongs to everyone.
The new organization soon expects to be collecting and distributing fresh fruit, vegetables, meat and baked goods to those in need at the rate of 100,000 pounds per year.
From September to June, one of every three students at Muddy Brook and one of every four at Monument Valley receives two meals for free or reduced price per day. That translates to 100 meals missing for those families, per child, during the 10 weeks of summer vacation.
“Families are frightened, scared and beaten down. What the staff and I do is give them the strength to go to the other organizations, to get through this and get past this.”
--- Michelle Derr, CHP director of WIC [Women, Infants and Children Nutrition Program] Family Services
