FAQ’s

No, our food is not available at our office and center in Chicopee. The Food Bank’s primary purpose is to handle food in large volumes, requiring tightly controlled storage methods and industrial equipment that is not safe to be around without proper training. Our direct food distributions for people facing food insecurity are hosted at accessible locations across the four-county region: Mobile Food Bank and Brown Bags: Food for Elders.

For a full list of our many partner food pantries, meal sites, and shelters where you can visit to pick up food, visit our service map >

The Food Bank is a regional organization that provides food to nearly every food pantry, shelter, meal site, and many other food assistance sites in Western Massachusetts. We are also the authorized distributor of food available through The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the Massachusetts Emergency Food Assistance Program (MEFAP). Unlike local food pantries and other feeding programs, the Food Bank does not distribute food directly to individuals (except through our Mobile Food Bank and Brown Bags: Food for Elders programs). Instead, we act as a regional clearinghouse to get nutritious food to local sites.

The Food Bank operated for a long time out of a facility in Hatfield, and has since moved to a new location in Chicopee. Our service area includes Berkshire, Franklin, Hampden, and Hampshire Counties. We serve the largest geographic area of any food bank in Massachusetts.

Many people seek food assistance to get them through a short-term crisis: a layoff, a critical illness, or loss of home due to fire. Others are unemployed and hungry with no way to buy food. An increasing number are seeking food to fill in gaps their paychecks aren’t covering. Many hard-working families are living from week to week, just on the edge of emergency. Learn more about the drivers of hunger >

Food security is an official definition from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)—”the ready availability of nutritionally adequate and safe foods.” By contrast, food insecurity describes when people don’t have enough food to eat and/or don’t know where their next meal will come from. Learn more about food insecurity >

Donate — You can make a financial contribution of any amount. Your donation makes a big difference to our ability to get nutritious food to people when and where they need it. Thanks to the size and efficiency of the Food Bank, each dollar donated allows us to provide the equivalent of two meals.

Participate — The Food Bank hosts fundraising activities throughout the year that support our mission. In addition, community organizations throughout the region hold food drives and fundraisers for the Food Bank.

Advocate — The Food Bank believes that together, we end hunger. It will take political will to change the factors in our current system that put people at risk of hunger and poverty. Advocate by contacting your government representatives and by getting involved in our efforts to advance systemic solutions to food insecurity and hunger.

Volunteer — Volunteers are critical to our mission. The Food Bank offers many opportunities to support our mission; whether it’s sorting donated food in our warehouse, assisting at a Brown Bag distribution site, lending your time and energy to Cultivating for Community or helping at a fundraising event, your time and talents will contribute to food security across Western Massachusetts.

If you are interested in learning more about hunger in our communities, a member of our staff would be happy to speak to your employees, civic group, or congregation, or provide a tour of our facility. Contact us with your ideas and suggestions for other ways you want to get involved!