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Food Bank Receives $10k from 100 Women Who Care
in In The News
Lowell – The Merrimack Valley Food Bank (MVFB) is pleased to share that the organization has received a $10,000 donation from 100 Women Who Care – Greater Westford.
100 Women Who Care is a membership organization in which all members make a quarterly donation, the funds are combined to create a large donation pool, and members listen to presentations by three nominated nonprofit organizations and then vote on the recipient of the large donation.
MVFB was the winner of this quarter’s donation, following a presentation about the organization’s hunger relief programs by Executive Director Debbie Callery at 100 Women Who Care’s quarterly meeting on September 12th
“We are so grateful to receive this gift from such an impressive group of community-oriented, generous women,” Callery states, adding, “These funds will help families who are struggling to make ends meet, and will ensure that they don’t have to worry about whether they will have something to put on the table to feed their kids tonight.”
For more information about the Merrimack Valley Food Bank, visit www.mvfb.org or follow MVFB on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Learn more about 100 Women Who Care – Greater Westford at www.100womenwhocarewestford.com.
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Cox Bridge Lights Up Orange for Hunger
in In The News
Lowell, MA – The Merrimack Valley Food Bank (MVFB) is thrilled to announce that the John E. Cox Memorial Bridge (Bridge Street) will be lit orange on Friday, September 15th in honor of Hunger Action Day. The lighting will take place at approximately 5:00pm, and the bridge will remain lit orange until midnight. The bridge lighting projects were completed with private funds managed by the Lowell Waterways Vitality Initiative, operating under the fiscal sponsorship of the Greater Lowell Community Foundation. No public dollars were used.
Hunger Action Day, a part of the national monthlong observation of Hunger Action Month, encourages everyone to think about what they can do to make a difference in the fight against food insecurity in our community. MVFB invites the community to share their pictures of the orange bridge with the hashtag #MVFBFightsHunger and the ways they commit to taking action for a chance to be featured on MVFB’s social media!
MVFB’s Executive Director, Debbie Callery, reminds everyone that food insecurity has remained a major issue in our state even after the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. “In July of 2023, 20.9% of Massachusetts households reported food insecurity – a rate as high as at any time during the pandemic, and substantially higher than before,” she notes, adding, “This means that if you didn’t have to worry last month about whether you’d have anything to eat, or anything to feed your children on a given day, you were luckier than 1 in 5 of your neighbors.”
The Merrimack Valley Food Bank serves more than 70,000 people a month through direct hunger relief programs and partnerships with more than 100 food pantries and meal programs that receive food from MVFB. Through these partnerships MVFB serves people in more than 30 communities in Massachusetts and Southern New Hampshire.
“This work is only possible because of support from community members who are determined to take action against hunger, not only in September, but all year round,” Callery adds.
The organization encourages people to take action by donating food or funds, advocating for policies that will help relieve food insecurity, hosting food drives, and volunteering. For more information about ways to fight hunger, visit www.mvfb.org or follow MVFB on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Read More »Agencies strive to feed needy kids over summer months
in In The News
By Katie Lannan, klannan@lowellsun.com
Updated: 07/08/2013 06:33:57 AM EDT
LOWELL — For the millions of kids nationwide eligible for free or reduced-price school lunches, a summer out of school can mean fewer guaranteed meals.
Federal, state and local agencies partner to feed those children breakfast and lunch through the Summer Food Service Program, an initiative organizers say reaches far fewer students than their efforts during the academic year.
Nationally, around 3 million children get meals through the summer programs, about one-seventh of the 21 million who receive free or reduced-price school lunches, said James Arena-DeRosa, northeast regional administrator for the United States Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service.
“Of course, we’re worried because, especially when kids are growing, the summers are a really important time for them,” Arena-DeRosa said. “They need good nutrition all year long.”
In Massachusetts, where the USDA partners with community organizations and the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, almost 2.8 million meals were served across more than 800 locations. That reaches about one-fifth of the eligible student population.
One part of the strategy is looking for where kids already gather in the summer, and bringing food to those sites, Arena-DeRosa said.
“Are kids at the recreation facilities? Are they going to the Boys and Girls Clubs? Maybe it’s going to the housing authorities,” he said.
Cities like Lowell, where more than half of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, offer open sites, where meals are served for free, to anyone under 18, on a drop-in basis.
Site sponsors in Lowell include the Lowell Public Schools, the Boys & Girls Club of Lowell, the Parks and Recreation Department, the Lowell Housing Authority and the Merrimack Valley Food Bank.
The Merrimack Valley Food Bank began its partnership with the USDA in 2005, getting reimbursed for meals provided to kids through a program that first launched in 1993.
In each of the past two years, the food bank provided between 9,000 and 10,000 lunches, Executive Director Amy Pessia said.
“Even if it’s for one week or a couple days a week, it’s something that will help them maintain good health, and when they return to school at the end of August, they’ll be ready to learn, and they won’t have to play catch-up,” Pessia said.
The meals served in the summer tend to be more basic than the typical school lunch, Arena-DeRosa said. Usually, they involve a sandwich paired with two fruits or vegetables — turkey on whole-grain bread, with carrot sticks, an apple and low-fat milk, for example.
“It’s summertime, so whoever is overseeing it has to be mindful of temperatures and food safety and things like that, so they’re usually a pretty simple meal,” Arena-DeRosa said. “But we still want them to be nutritious, so the kids are not just eating food, but eating good food.”
The Lowell Housing Authority’s Mercier Center and George Flanagan Development offer meals and activities to their residents through the Summer Food Service Program, with info sessions encouraging healthy nutrition.
Pessia said some sites also feature gardens, and an upcoming donation of garden tools will allow kids to learn about sustainability.
“Children who don’t already know should know where their food comes from and how to be more self-sufficient,” Pessia said. “We all know that healthy eating can alleviate a host of health problems and potentially avoid problems that are associated with poor nutrition, including diabetes, hypertension and obesity.”
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