The Food Bank receives $75,000 in grant awards from the Walmart Foundation

Our Director of Development and Marketing, Sarah Tsitsi, was presented a check for $50,000 from The Walmart Foundation.

Our Director of Development and Marketing, Sarah Tsitsi (right), was presented a check for $50,000 from The Walmart Foundation.

The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts is happy to announce that we have been awarded two grants from the Walmart Foundation, totaling $75,000, to support our Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Outreach & Enrollment and Nutrition Education programs. We will assist food insecure households in our region to apply for SNAP assistance, and provide nutrition education throughout the region aimed at helping people develop healthier eating and shopping habits.

“We are extremely grateful for these generous contributions from the Walmart Foundation,” said The Food Bank’s Executive Director Andrew Morehouse. “Our SNAP Outreach & Enrollment and Nutrition Education programs are a vital lifeline for tens of thousands of people in our community who are faced with food insecurity every day.”

According to Feeding America, hunger in Western Massachusetts affects 1 in 4 people. SNAP outreach and enrollment is a key priority for increasing households’ access to healthy and affordable food. Additionally, nutrition education provides families the opportunity to learn basic nutrition principals to prepare healthy meals at home and how to shop on a limited budget maximize their dollars in a way that is nutritionally beneficial for their families.

“The Walmart Foundation is pleased to partner with Feeding America to provide these two rounds of funding to support The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts’ invaluable work,” Walmart Director of Public Affairs Chris Buchanan said. “The Foundation is dedicated to helping to improve the lives of people in the communities our stores serve – which is exactly what The Food Bank does by fighting hunger across the region every day.”

Last year, we distributed nearly 10 million pounds of food — the equivalent of 8.2 million meals. This was the most ever in our 33-year history. Currently, more than 211,000 people throughout western Massachusetts rely on the local emergency food network to help put food on the table.