SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – Soaring food prices and a drop in donations mean many food pantries are more thinly stocked, and we are seeing that here at home.
The reason this has arisen is because the extra FoodShare benefits put in place because of the COVID-19 pandemic are gone. In addition, with the rising cost of food, some people can’t donate because their own food expenses have gone up. People that might have donated are now looking to pantries for help.
The Gray House in Springfield says because of this it has now been running low on food. The executive director, Kristin McClintock, tells 22News that instead of running out of food every month, many of these families run out every week.
With nearly 400 families served each Thursday, the pantry says it welcomes any support it can receive. And with that in mind, the food pantry will be holding its ninth annual “Fill the Plate, Feed a Family Challenge” in September, to help feed Springfield residents. As part of the initiative, the organization wants to raise $15,000 from the community to help keep food on everyone’s table.
“We’re just seeing more and more people coming so to be able to kind of meet that need we need to have this funding so we can continue to serve the community,” said McClintock.
To donate, visit GrayHouse.org/FillThePlate/ throughout the month of September. The Gray House encourages donors to then take a photo holding an empty plate to represent all of the families that would go hungry without The Market at Gray House and post it to social media, encouraging them to support the cause.
The community can also support The Gray House by eating at Tower Square’s Hot Table on September 6th. From 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., customers who purchase a meal from the Hot Table located at 1500 Main Street in Springfield, 50% of its proceeds from who present the program flyer will be donated to the Gray House.
Since 2015, more than $103,000 has been donated to the fundraising initiative.
Kayleigh Thomas is a digital reporter who has been a part of the 22News team since 2022. Follow Kayleigh on Twitter @kayleighcthomas and view her bio to see more of her work.
