Alekman DiTusa: Making a difference in the lives of a community in need

For many residents of Berkshire, Franklin, Hampden and Hampshire counties, the words “western Massachusetts” elicits mental images of beautiful mountains, sprawling farms, and natural wildlife. For attorneys Ryan Alekman and Robert DiTusa, they also consider this area to be a region with a great sense of community and a wonderful place to raise a family.

However, for the more than 225,000 people that rely on our emergency food network to put healthy meals on their tables, it’s a home filled with uncertainty and anxiety.

“Obviously, The Food Bank’s biggest contribution is feeding people,” explains Ryan Alekman. “Beyond that, they also work hard to make the community aware of the issue of food insecurity, which people may not see otherwise in their daily lives.”

That is why, for more than eight years, Alekman DiTusa, LLC, Attorneys at Law, have been partnering with The Food Bank in a number of ways to support our mission. In 2011, their participation in Legal Food Frenzy (a benevolent competition within the legal community to raise funds and collect food items) raised the most contributions per capita in western Massachusetts. They have sponsored all our galas and spring events for the past five years, including the Speakeasy Soiree and Farm to Cocktail competition. In addition to sponsoring and riding in our annual Will Bike 4 Food, they have donated major billboard space to us for the past two years, allowing us to promote the charity cycling event. For the past two Monte’s March events, the pair have sponsored a matching gift hour, doubling donors’ call-in contributions, and sponsored every major fundraising event The Food Bank held in 2018. Over the years, their support has provided the equivalent of 144,000 meals to food-insecure individuals throughout the region.*

This winter, the law team have continued their support by partnering with the Springfield Thunderbirds for a special ‘Goals for Groceries’ campaign. During the Thunderbirds’ 2018–19 season, Alekman DiTusa are generously donating 100 meals to The Food Bank for every goal scored by the Thunderbirds. Through the first five months of the season, the campaign has already provided 10,600 meals* (with three months remaining).

Although we are working hard to feed our neighbors in need throughout the region, we know that we can’t do it alone. We rely on strong partnerships, like the one with Alekman DiTusa, who share our vision of a western Massachusetts where no one goes hungry, and everyone has access to healthy food.

“There is a great sense of community here in western Massachusetts,” explains Ryan. “We’ve been supporting The Food Bank for years because it is important to us to make a difference in the lives of those in our community.”

*Totals have been updated from originally printed story in our spring 2019 Word of Mouth newsletter.