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Feeding the Berkshires

FINDING WAYS TO HELP CURB THE GROWING CHALLENGE OF FOOD INSECURITY  


By Samantha Anderson 

Holiday 24


As the winter season arrives, a less visible chill spreads through the Berkshires. Many families are finding themselves caught in the gap between rising costs, inflation, and stagnant incomes, with a growing number facing a lack of access to food. To deal with this challenge, local organizations, volunteers, and community leaders are joining forces in innovative ways, and their dedication and creative problem-solving offer hope and inspiration, showcasing the power of collective action in times of need. 


Courtesy of Berkshire Food Project

The Thanksgiving Angels program stands as a shining example of community collaboration. Now in its 13th year, this initiative brings together 23 organizations to provide uncooked ingredients for families to prepare Thanksgiving meals. Last year, they provided food to nearly 2,000 households with 350 volunteers assisting the distributions, according to Thanksgiving Angels Co-Chair Hope Amandos.


The New Face of Food Insecurity


Gone are the days when food insecurity only affected those traditionally considered low-income. The face of hunger is changing, touching lives in unexpected places and challenging long-held assumptions about who needs help. From young families to seniors, middle-class professionals to immigrant communities, the need for food assistance is pervasive and continues to rise, stretching the 42 local food pantries and 15 meal sites in Berkshire County to their limits. 


Stephanie Bosley, executive director of the Berkshire Food Project, an organization that serves hot nutritious meals five days a week at the First Congregational Church in North Adams, shares statistics from her organization. “In 2023,” she says, “we fed 14,995 individuals, and as of the end of August of 2024, we've fed over 16,000 individuals.” 


Liana Toscanini, executive director of the Nonprofit Center of the Berkshires, gives a few poignant anecdotes that illustrate this shift. “I know of two couples whose husbands aren’t working because of a combination of aging and disability,” she says. “The cost of groceries led one of these couples to shop at a food pantry. At first, this was a bit uncomfortable as they had never been in that position before, but it turned out to be so helpful to their bottom line. The other couple qualified for weekly bags of fresh, locally sourced produce and eggs from Community Health Programs, which was a welcome gift given the price of organic food.” 


These personal stories highlight the growing need for food assistance in the Berkshires, even among those who may not have required such help before. Recognizing this increasing demand, local organizations have stepped up to address food insecurity in innovative ways. 


Acutely aware of the need to share Berkshire’s bounty with those suffering from food insecurity, Berkshire Bounty was formed in 2016 with a simple idea: to enlist volunteers to pick fruit from people’s backyard trees for delivery. Berkshire Bounty expanded the strategy to local supermarket donations and purchases. Today, it collects food from 14 retailers and distributes to 19 organizations, including pantries, schools, and senior centers. The organization uses donated funds to purchase nutritious and culturally appropriate foods, enhancing the quality and variety at distribution sites. 


Berkshire Bounty Executive Director Morgan Ovitzsky notes a significant increase in the "working poor”—individuals earning too much to qualify for federal benefits but not enough to meet basic needs. Additionally, she points to rising food insecurity among seniors, with some pantries exclusively serving the elderly population. These older clients often face difficult choices between affording food, medical costs, or transportation, further illustrating the complex challenges of food insecurity in the region. 


The interconnected issue of food insecurity with other economic challenges is a crucial aspect that local leaders recognize and address. The Reverend Mike Denton of United Church of Christ in Pittsfield emphasizes these challenges. "When people talk about food insecurity, it's also about economic insecurity,” Denton says. “When someone is looking for food assistance, that helps supplement their rent, transportation costs, and healthcare. Food assistance tends to be the canary in the coal mine for other needs.” 


Rising Demand 


The numbers paint a stark picture of the escalating challenge. According to data collected from Feeding America and the Western Massachusetts Food Bank, in 2022, approximately 14,430 individuals received food from pantries, or about 11 percent of Berkshire County. The complexity of data collection and the anonymity maintained at food distribution sites make precise counting challenging. However, based on observations from various locations, some estimate that the number of food-insecure individuals could be as high as 39,000 people, or 30 percent of the county's population. 


Denton’s church founded and continues to host the South Community Food Pantry, which received its own nonprofit status in 2023. He provides another stark illustration of the trend. When Denton arrived there two years ago, there were about 750 households receiving food monthly through the pantry. They now serve between 1,300 to 1,500 households. This increased demand means more money and more donations are needed for more food. "We couldn't do what we do without the help of the Western Massachusetts Food Bank,” Denton says, providing insight into the financial challenges. “And even with that, we're still spending about $4,000 a week on food. So, as the need goes up, the need for money to help purchase the food goes up too.” 


Put simply, the need outpaces the resources. Tom Bernard, president and CEO of Berkshire United Way, notes, "It's hard to stock the shelves with enough food to keep up.” 


This surge in demand is putting unprecedented pressure on the infrastructure of food assistance organizations across Berkshire County. Many of these organizations are struggling to scale up their operations to meet the growing need. Toscanini explains the challenge: "Food pantries mostly operate with volunteers,” Toscanini says, “so they don’t typically have a nonprofit infrastructure with fundraising departments, and they're not set up to serve three times more people and find the funding to do that.” To address these challenges, food assistance organizations need volunteers with expertise in areas such as legal matters, marketing, fundraising, and logistics management to help strengthen their operational capacity and meet the increasing demand. 


The impact of food insecurity also affects physical health, mental well-being, and social connections. Bosley highlights an often-overlooked aspect of Berkshire Food Project's mission: providing a safe and welcoming environment where people can connect with one another and combat social isolation. This focus on community and connection is crucial, especially as many of the food assistance organizations in Berkshire County observe an increase in mental health challenges among their guests. As economic pressures mount, many individuals find themselves increasingly isolated. The Berkshires currently has 15 meal sites in locations spread across the county offering breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The simple act of sharing a meal can provide not just nutrition, but also a sense of belonging and support that is vital for mental health and overall well-being.


Innovative Community Responses


As the need grows, so does the community's response, and organizations across Berkshire County are finding innovative ways to meet the increasing demand, often through creative problem-solving and collaboration. 


When people come into the South Community Food Pantry, they don't get a pre-set box of food. Instead, they can walk through and choose what they want or need. They made this decision based on feedback from their volunteers—about a third to half of whom are recipients of the food boxes themselves. Denton explains that this model not only provides dignity and agency to those seeking assistance, but also helps reduce food waste by ensuring people take only what they need and will use. 


As the demographics of those seeking assistance change, so, too, must the offerings of food pantries. Immigrant numbers are increasing in the county, and there is a concerted effort to provide food that has cross-cultural appeal. Brenda Petell, director of volunteer engagement at Berkshire United Way, explains, "One of our big learnings is that many cultures don't eat canned beans, and instead, dried beans are more appropriate." This attention to cultural preferences and dietary needs is crucial in ensuring that food assistance is both accessible and acceptable to all members of the community. 


Organizations are also getting creative with food sourcing. Berkshire Bounty, for example, collected an impressive 411,000 pounds of food in 2023, aggregating donated food from grocery stores, local farms, and wholesalers, as well as purchased food to fill nutritional gaps. Yet, they face logistical challenges in transporting supplies to emergency sites. A major hurdle is moving food from the Western Mass Food Bank to the Berkshires, requiring refrigerated trucks and dedicated staff. To address this, Ovitzky describes an innovative partnership they forged with Goodwill of the Berkshires, which provides a truck to transport food from Chicopee to multiple northern Berkshire pantries, demonstrating how collaborative solutions can emerge to tackle complex food distribution challenges in the region. 


The Berkshire Food Project has also expanded its partnerships with several community organizations that serve people experiencing food insecurity. To support these efforts, they are providing frozen meals to these organizations, which can then distribute them to their clients.


Looking Ahead


As the community grapples with this growing challenge, collaboration and innovation are crucial. Berkshire Bounty's partnership with local farmers to grow requested items, the success of pantries such as the South Community Food Pantry, and the expansive collaboration seen in Thanksgiving Angels all demonstrate the power of creative problem-solving and community spirit in addressing food insecurity in the Berkshires. 


Yet, addressing food insecurity is part of a larger systemic issue. "I don't know if all the social ills of our world are going to get fixed so that this problem goes away, because it's a lot of different things. It's the cost of food, it's the cost of gas, and it's the cost of housing,” Toscanini points out. While these larger issues may seem daunting, the Berkshire community can continue to step up to the plate. As Toscanini concludes, "If everybody jumped in in a way that was comfortable for them, whether it's providing money or food, driving deliveries, or serving on a board, it feels like we could tame the beast a little bit." 


In the meantime, as winter approaches and holiday tables are set, the need remains urgent. The spirit of giving that defines the Berkshires is needed now more than ever to ensure that no neighbor goes hungry. Through continued collaboration, innovation and community spirit, the Berkshires can work towards a future where food security is a reality for all its residents.”


How You Can Help


The spirit of giving that defines the Berkshires is needed now more than ever. Here's how you can make a difference:


1. Join holiday efforts: Thanksgiving Angels needs volunteers for its upcoming holiday program. Amandos explains, "We need volunteers to pack boxes starting in early November and then during the holiday we need delivery drivers. People bring their kids, and they really love to do that.” thanksgivingangels.org


2. Donate: Cash donations are crucial, allowing organizations to purchase specific items needed. Even small donations can make a big difference. Berkshire United Way features a current list of food assistance organizations in  Berkshire County. 


3. Volunteer: Opportunities abound, from serving and distributing meals to driving food to homebound individuals. Berkshire United Way's Volunteer Center connects volunteers with nonprofits in need of assistance. Director of Volunteer Engagement Brenda Petell explains, "We have an online volunteer center with over 100 nonprofits. They list information about their agency, and then what their volunteer needs are.” You can find the Volunteer Center online: 


4. Board service: Many food pantries lack nonprofit infrastructure. If you have relevant professional skills (e.g., fundraising, marketing, logistics, legal), you could offer your expertise to help these organizations scale up their operations. Visit a pantry or meal site and talk with the volunteers to see what assistance they most need. 


5. Support local pantries: The Reverend Mike Denton suggests, "One of the best things you can do if you want to work on food insecurity within your community is enter your address into your favorite search engine and write 'pantries near me.’ Start with those nearby and ask what kind of help they need." 

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