The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts receives $20,000 grant award and food donation from Berkshire Bank

The Food Bank has received a $20,000 grant from Berkshire Bank Foundation to support the distribution of healthy food throughout the region. The grant will allow our organization to distribute even more nutritious food to our 171 member agencies (comprised of food pantries, meal programs, community centers and shelters) in Berkshire and Hampden Counties. It will also allow us to further assist individuals facing hunger through their direct-to-client feeding programs, including the Mobile Food Bank and Brown Bag: Food for Elders.

In addition to Berkshire Bank’s monetary support for The Food Bank, the corporation’s employees, through their Xtraordinary Day of Service, recently sorted, packed, and donated the equivalent of 111,000 meals of oatmeal for households at risk of hunger.

“We are so pleased to support the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts and their comprehensive approach to addressing food insecurity in the communities that Berkshire Bank serves,” said Lori Kiely, director of the Berkshire Bank Foundation. “Too many families find it difficult to provide enough food for their members, and we applaud The Food Bank’s effort to both address the issue and solve the problem through their work with the Coalition to End Hunger.”

“Berkshire Bank has demonstrated its corporate citizenship by this generous investment of treasure and time in our mission,” said Andrew Morehouse, Food Bank Executive Director.

Last year, The Food Bank distributed the equivalent of 9.6 million meals to more than 200,000 individuals – including elders and children — who live with food insecurity; not knowing where their next meal will come from. More than half of this food was perishable, including fruits, vegetables, meat and dairy.