10 years, 82 selections, $2,687 in donations
Since April 2014, the Merrimack Valley Food Bank has been selected to benefit from the Hannaford Helps Fight Hunger Bag and Bloomin’ 4 Good Programs 82 times at 3 different Hannaford locations. In total, the organization has received $2,687 in donations to continue providing nutritious food and personal care items to emergency feeding programs that serve the low-income, homeless, and hungry.
Tell us about the Merrimack Valley Food Bank.
Our goal is to provide as much food as possible to the emergency feeding programs that we serve in hopes that those struggling with food insecurity will have a little less to worry about. It’s not just about the actual food. Sharing a meal with family and friends is about so much more. It’s a time to catch up and ask them how their day went. As an organization, we are not going to end world hunger, but our goal is to help people struggle a little bit less.
As an organization, we are not going to end world hunger, but our goal is to help people struggle a little bit less.
The Merrimack Valley Food Bank is nearly 35 years old. Our board president and founder started the organization when he and a group of friends saw a need for supplemental food in Lowell. They started this program out of a U-Haul truck, delivering food to local organizations, shelters, pantries, and any individuals or families they knew needed help. Then it got a little bigger, so they moved into a closet in a shelter and started distributing food there.
In 1991, a lovely local family gave them an old mill building where we spent about 30 years. We just bought and renovated a new building that we were able to move into in February. Everything there is brand new. We have 5,000 square feet of refrigeration and freezer space, allowing us to procure and store more perishable food.
What services do you provide to the community?
Our main service is a food distribution program. We don’t typically serve individuals. Instead, our clients are the pantries. Currently, we’re serving 107 organizations in 34 cities and towns throughout Essex and Middlesex counties. Through this network, about 70,000 people receive food from us each month.
Through this network, about 70,000 people receive food from us each month.
I’m also working with Hannaford on our program that serves children in 34 regional schools. They get bags of food to take home on the weekend, ensuring children are fed until they return to school on Monday and receive free breakfast and free lunch.
We also have in-school pantries that we stock with shelf-stable food. We try to make the options as healthy as we can. With the assistance of a school staff member, students can go to the cabinet and fill a bag.
On the flip side, we have a program for seniors. This program is a grocery delivery service for homebound and disabled individuals. Each receives a delivery with enough food to prepare 26 to 30 meals. We provide protein, dairy, and fresh produce. We serve more than 300 individuals through this program.
We also do a summer lunch program in conjunction with the USDA Summer Eats program. We serve 12 sites for six weeks, providing over 16,000 meals and snacks.
Our last program is a community market that runs from June to November. We visit eight public housing properties in Greater Lowell monthly, bringing fruits and vegetables, dairy products, and shelf-stable food. We also provide information about the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and health insurance services they could use.
How has the Merrimack Valley Food Bank used the donations from the Hannaford Helps Fight Hunger Bag and Bloomin’ 4 Good Programs to further its mission?
When we are the recipient of either of these programs, we allocate the funds to wherever we need it most. All of it goes to purchase food.
We honestly wouldn’t be able to do what we do without the help from Hannaford. We appreciate all the support we receive from Hannaford, which we receive in other ways besides this particular program. For example, in February, team members from Hannaford visited our organization and presented us with a $14,000 check. Through our food rescue program, we visit the Hannaford stores in Lowell and Chelmsford weekly to salvage food that we can distribute locally.
We honestly wouldn’t be able to do what we do without the help from Hannaford.
Tell us a story about a program, service, or initiative the Hannaford Helps Community Bag and Bloomin’ 4 Good Programs have supported.
As the 5th largest city in the state, we serve an urban community with over 15,000 students attending public school. The majority of these students are in need. A staff member told us that a little girl came up to her at the in-school pantry and said, “Are we getting a goodie bag this week?”
It was really heartfelt to hear this reaction to the program. Although my son is grown, when I think of a goodie bag, I think of something being handed out at a birthday party with candy and treats. Yet, to this elementary school student, a goodie bag was a can of tuna or a box of mac and cheese. It’s heart-wrenching to hear that.
People are choosing between buying food, paying rent, paying for prescriptions, and paying their utilities. They’re unable to do all of that in one month. In their minds, they have to prioritize, which often means buying less food at the supermarket. If the food they receive monthly helps them worry less, then we feel we’ve done our job.
Serving an individual with dignity is very important. There is no shame in being in a tough situation. Many different reasons bring people to the food line at a pantry. It’s hard to swallow your pride and say, “I have to take care of my family. If this is what I have to do, then this is what I have to do.”
Have you noticed any changes in community awareness or support since becoming involved in the Hannaford Helps Fight Hunger Bag and Bloomin’ 4 Good Programs?
We have seen an increase in the contribution, so it seems more people are aware of the programs. We post about it all the time and share it. When it happens to come at the same time we are doing a newsletter, we put it in there, too! We do try to spread the word and encourage people to think of us when they are at Hannaford.
What advice would you give to other nonprofits participating in the Hannaford Helps Fight Hunger Bag and Bloomin’ 4 Good Programs?
For small pantries that may have limited resources, the best thing is to promote and get the word out. If they have social media, that can be really helpful. We will share Facebook posts when we see that other organizations we serve or know are participating in the program. It’s such a simple concept, but it all adds up!
Interview with Deb Callery, Executive Director