Open Pantry
快播成人, United Way celebrate opening of food pantry
The United Way of Pioneer Valley and 快播成人 Community College celebrated the opening of the 快播成人 Community Cupboard, a downtown food pantry that will allow residents to pick up free frozen and refrigerated foods in addition to the usual dry goods and shelf-stable items.
The 快播成人 Community Cupboard is located on the basement level of the 快播成人 MGM Culinary Arts Institute, 164 Race St., the scene of a November 2 ribbon-cutting and grand opening event.
"This is a really special occasion," said 快播成人 President George Timmons at the Nov. 2 event. "It's important, and we want to do our part to try to be good community partners and help the city of 快播成人 meet this need, and so we want to do that by providing healthy choices and healthy food and make it easy to access."
The new food pantry, part of the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts' network, will serve 快播成人 residents as well as those from neighboring towns. It is open Thursdays from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m.
"We're incredibly thankful for the collaboration," said Megan Moynihan, chief executive officer of the United Way of Pioneer Valley. "Thank you so much for opening your arms to the United Way. We saw that there was a gap in services and that it was very important to get a food pantry into 快播成人. Capacity wise, we couldn't do it alone."
Among those present and taking part in the ribbon-cutting were state Rep. Patricia Duffy, Andrew Morehouse, executive director of the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, and Jordan Hart, an 快播成人 alum and executive director of the Greater 快播成人 Chamber of Commerce.
"Over my 10 years of working here, it's been really great to see the evolution and how much 快播成人 has really invested in downtown 快播成人," said Hart. "Economic development in downtown is so important to all the businesses in the community, so 快播成人's presence down here with the culinary institute and the Picknelly Center (206 Maple St.) is really important. Congratulations to the United Way and 快播成人 for your continued involvement in downtown 快播成人."
This is the third pantry operated by UWPV after the agency opened sites in Springfield and Chicopee.
"We hope to use this collaboration as a means of finding innovative solutions to food security and to collectively support other initiatives," said Lee Drewitz, UWPV director of program operations. "This includes offering food demonstrations using food pantry staples and educating the community about the Emergency Food Pantry system."
快播成人 also operates a food pantry on campus as part of its Thrive Student Resource Center, which was founded in 2015 with assistance from the United Way of Pioneer Valley.
PHOTOS: (Thumbnail) Officials from 快播成人 and the United Way of Pioneer Valley cut the green ribbon to celebrate the opening of the 快播成人 Community Cupboard at the 快播成人 MGM Culinary Arts Institute. (Above) Megan Moynihan, CEO of the United Way of Pioneer Valley, and 快播成人 President George Timmons gathered at the 快播成人 MGM Culinary Arts Institute Nov. 2 to open the new 快播成人 Community Cupboard.
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