Annual Report – Fiscal Year 2022

October 1, 2021 – September 30, 2022
The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts publishes our lists of donors online. This digital format reduces our environmental impact and printing and mailing costs, so that we can distribute more healthy food throughout the region. Thank you to all of our donors who continue to support our mission. We are honored to count you as a partner. Together, we end hunger.

Download the Food Bank FY22 annual report > 

From the Executive Director & Board President

 

 

You might think it’s pollyannaish for us to aspire to end hunger. Before you do, consider what we accomplished together last year. We…

• Provided the equivalent of 800,000 healthy meals to an average of 93,000 individuals every month through 250 partner and Food Bank sites across all four counties of western Massachusetts
• Assisted 1,031 households to receive monthly SNAP benefits to purchase the equivalent of another 910,000 meals at local stores and farms, leveraging $2.1 million in economic activity
• Assisted nearly 700 patients, who screened positive for food insecurity at area hospitals and community health centers by providing:
  • Food vouchers to purchase food at supermarkets
  • Deliveries of almost 18,000 medically tailored meals prepared by our three elder services organization partners
  • Cooking supplies and nutrition workshops to prepare their own healthy meals
  • Referrals to other social service organizations to receive wrap-around services (i.e. childcare, transportation, housing)

We must act immediately to prevent hunger and food insecurity when households are confronted with this reality on any day, week, or month. People need to eat today as we forge system-wide policy solutions for tomorrow.

Read the full letter from ED Andrew Morehouse and Board President Will Dávila >

Moving To Meet the Needs of Our Community

The Food Bank’s future larger and greener Food Distribution Center, and Headquarters in Chicopee will open its doors this September. The move would not be possible without the dedication and support of everyone who helped us reach our Capital Campaign goal of $26.4M at the end of 2022.

See a preview of the new facility >

New Food Bank Logo

Since 1992, the Food Bank’s logo has displayed a truck, symbolizing our dedicated efforts to deliver nutritious food across Western Massachusetts. Since then, the Food Bank’s mission and vision have evolved and deepened, extending beyond transporting food. Our impact has become multifaceted, combining delivery of immediate nutritious food directly and through the region’s Food Assistance Network with innovative strategies and systemic solutions to the underlying causes of hunger.

Learn more about our new look >

Food Supply Chain Obstacles

Last fiscal year to the present, the Food Bank (and all 200 food banks nationally) has experienced unprecedented supply chain obstacles. Beginning in August 2022, we began experiencing delays from our largest source of food — the Massachusetts Emergency Food Assistance Program (MEFAP). In September, delays and cancellations of food deliveries followed suit from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Learn more about the impact of these supply chain obstacles >

Policy in Focus

At the Food Bank, we support households who need healthy food in the short term and also confront the underlying conditions that cause food insecurity in the first place. In September 2022, Congressman Jim McGovern convened a national conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health hosted at the White House.

One of the goals from the conference is the call to end hunger in our country by 2030. The Advocacy team at the Food Bank is proud to be part of a statewide group of anti-hunger advocates to bring this goal to fruition.

Read more about Food Bank policy work in 2022 >

 

Member Spotlight: Pastor Doyle St. Louis, All Nation Church of God

According to the most recent data, food insecurity affects 1 in 10 people in our service region. Unconscionably, this rate rises to 1 in 4 for children and for Black and Hispanic populations.

The Food Bank partners with over 160 local member food pantries, meal sites, and shelters to ensure we meet the needs of our diverse communities, especially those disproportionately affected. These sites are operated by individuals who live in the communities where they are located, making them uniquely suited to people facing hunger in their area. Just over 80% of the food distributed by The Food Bank goes to our members.

Learn from Pastor St. Louis how All Nation Church of God makes a difference in Springfield >

New Funding for Wrap-Around Services

For decades, the healthcare industry has accepted the concept of Social Determinants of Health referring to “upstream” causes like food insecurity. Understanding this connection, several years ago the Food Bank started the Food Insecurity Screening & Referral Initiative (FISRI) in partnership with the Holyoke Health Center (HHC). Thanks to a three-year innovation grant from the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts, care providers at the health center screened their patients, and those who were found to be food insecure were referred to a Food Bank employee who worked out of HHC. Through conversations with the patient, Damaris Arroyo, Food Assistance Resource Coordinator, was able to refer them to food resources such as food pantries in their neighborhood, the Food Bank’s SNAP outreach team, and the Mobile Food Bank and Brown Bag food distribution sites. In addition, partnerships with several other community organizations allowed her to make referrals for services including housing and childcare assistance, Meals on Wheels, employment training, and more.

Read more about the Food Bank’s innovative work with FISRI >

Food Distribution & Its Impact

Financials

Food Bank FY22 Consolidated Audited Financial Statements >

Food Bank Donors

Thank you to all of our donors who continue to support our mission. We are honored to count you as a partner. Together, we end hunger.

These lists are for operating support only – Capital Campaign donations will be displayed in our new Chicopee Food Distribution Center & Headquarters. Donors are listed in alphabetical order. 

2022 Individual Donor List

2022 Organization donor List

More about the Food Bank