Food Bank Director of Programs Christina Maxwell, Jen Barr of Stop & Shop, Doyle St. Louis, Congressman Jim McGovern, Monte Belmonte, Ed Malachowski, and Food Farm Manager Lee Gadway.

On June 17^th, 2026, the Food Bank hosted our second annual Honoring Community Impact: A Food Bank Open House. We welcomed more than 150 supporters, community partners, volunteers, and local businesses to the patio and community room at our Chicopee food warehouse, resource, education and advocacy center. The event honored the support and engagement of Food Bank supporters, while specially recognizing the impact of four awardees.

Board President Omar Irizarry opened the award presentation with reflections on the Food Bank’s mission to build lasting food security by providing nutritious food and partnering with communities to end hunger.

“Tonight is about hope,” Irizarry said. “Western Massachusetts has a long history of neighbors helping neighbors and by working together, listening to community voices like yours, and by investing in lasting solutions, we will continue to build a future where everyone has an opportunity to thrive.”

In addition to recognizing awardees and connecting with others who are passionate about our mission, the event was also a time to reflect on what we have accomplished together – and on the work that still lies ahead.

Andrew Morehouse, President of the Food Bank, speaks about the organization’s mission.

Executive Director Andrew Morehouse echoed Irizarry’s appreciation of community support amid increased demand for food assistance. On a monthly basis, the Food Bank provides the equivalent of almost 1.2 million meals to more than 118,000 individuals.

“People are really struggling. We like to accentuate the positive, but the fact of the matter is people are having a really, really rough time,” Morehouse said. “It is going to get worse. We are now seeing the number of individuals seeking food assistance trend upward every month.”

Meet the Food Bank Impact Awardees

The Food Bank Impact Awards recognize the compassion, creativity, and dedication that drive real change across Hampden, Hampshire, Franklin, and Berkshire Counties. Awardees were presented with a glazed ceramic plate imprinted with the Food Bank logo, handmade by Florence potter Tiffany Hilton.

Each recipient spoke about their experiences with the Food Bank and making a difference in Western Mass.

Stop & Shop, Nourishing Impact Award
Jennifer Barr, Director of External Communications, accepted the award on behalf of Stop & Shop.

“Fighting hunger is really core to what we do at Stop & Shop. We share that belief that everyone has a right to healthy food access,” Barr said. “Whether it’s through donating unsold food from our stores or through the school pantries we support across Western Massachusetts – or donations from our foundation to support the work the Food Bank does to address childhood hunger and Western Mass – we are so proud to be a partner. This is what we do 365 days a year.”

Bara also announced an upcoming donation to the Food Bank of more than $103,000 from their annual Feed It Forward campaign, where shoppers round up at the register to donate to the Food Bank.

Ed Malachowski, Volunteer Impact Award
“I knew that in retirement, I had to make a change and pursue things that brought me joy instead of just a paycheck,” Malachowski said. “My time at the Food Bank has been more soul affirming and ‘soil affirming’ as well.” Ed is a long-time volunteer on the Food Bank Farm, donating more than 500 hours and counting.

Monte Belmonte, NEPM Radio, Community-Led Impact Award
Longtime supporter U.S. Representative Jim McGovern presented the Community-Led Impact Award to NEPM’s Monte Belmonte for his commitment to leading the March for the Food Bank for 17 years.

“It’s you, the people who are volunteering, the people at the Food Bank, the people in the communities doing this work, day in and day out,” Belmonte said. “Those are the people who really are continuing to do the hard work and make the work that we do on the March a success and make our community a model for taking care of our neighbors.”

Doyle St. Louis, All Nations Church Pantry, Person of Impact Award
“I stand here because of the commitment, dedication, and hard work of the Food Bank and All Nation religious community, fellow agencies, and our neighbors,” St. Louis said. “As I accept this award, I offer my heartfelt thanks for your support and encouragement. Let’s keep making a difference. Our communities are counting on us.”

The event captured the passion, connection, and motivation for the work ahead.

As Congressman McGovern stated, “I do a lot of town halls and people say to me, ‘Oh, I feel hopeless. I feel powerless. I feel like I can’t do anything.’ And my response is, that’s a tactic by people who don’t want you to do anything,” McGovern said. “But you have power. We all have power. This is what power can do. You can feed a community to make sure that nobody goes hungry in our community.”

Food and beverage vendors included Berkshire Brewing Company, Berkshire Mountain Distillers, The Brewery at Four Star Farms, Custom Cookie Concepts, Coquito Chukito, Dean’s Beans Organic Coffee, Glendale Ridge Vineyard, Guido’s Fresh Marketplace, Herrell’s Ice Cream, Libretto Café, and Stone Soup Café. Stop & Shop donated fresh-cut flowers.

Sponsors of the Open House included Alekman DiTusa Attorneys at Law, All States Materials Group, PDC Incorporated, Talcott Financial Group, and Superior Plus Propane.

For ways to get involved and support the Food Bank, visit www.foodbankwma.org.