GREENFIELD — Community Action Pioneer Valley has officially launched the “Keep Our Neighbors Fed” campaign, a community-wide effort to raise $40,000 by July 4 to strengthen food access across Franklin and Hampshire counties at a time of rapidly growing need.
The campaign was launched with a $5,000 matching gift from Greenfield Cooperative Bank to encourage community support and help sustain Community Action’s food access programs.
“At Greenfield Cooperative Bank, we believe strong communities are built when neighbors show up for one another,” President Tony Worden said. “The level of food insecurity facing Franklin and Hampshire counties is deeply concerning, and we are proud to help launch the ‘Keep Our Neighbors Fed’ campaign in support of Community Action’s vital work. We hope this matching gift inspires others to give and helps ensure neighbors across our region continue to have access to healthy food and trusted local resources.”
The announcement comes amid alarming new data from the Greater Boston Food Bank’s Massachusetts Food Access Report, which found that 48% of households in Franklin and Hampshire counties experienced food insecurity in 2025 — among the highest rates in Massachusetts. The report also found that 75% of households receiving SNAP still needed additional food support.
Community Action leaders say the findings reflect what local organizations are seeing every day as rising food costs, housing expenses, utility bills, healthcare expenses, and gas prices place increasing strain on local families and seniors. More working families are turning to local food pantries as wages struggle to keep pace with the cost of living.
The pressure extends well beyond households officially considered to be living in poverty. According to a regional economic analysis, a livable income in Franklin and Hampshire counties is estimated at approximately 350% to 400% of the federal poverty level, yet roughly half of local residents live below that threshold.
Summer months often intensify that pressure. For many families, summer means stretching already-tight food budgets to cover breakfasts and lunches normally provided at school, increasing demand at local food pantries and meal programs.
At the same time, proposed federal budget cuts — including the proposed elimination of Community Services Block Grant funding — threaten flexible funding that helps support the infrastructure behind local food access efforts, including keeping pantry operations running and food moving throughout the region.
Last year alone, Community Action’s food pantries in Franklin County helped provide more than 356,000 meals to approximately 3,500 neighbors.
Community Action serves more than 25,000 neighbors annually across Franklin and Hampshire counties through programs supporting food access, housing stability, early childhood education, energy assistance, family support, and economic mobility. In addition to food pantry services, Community Action’s WIC program supports families across both counties with access to healthy food and nutrition education support.
Community Action’s pantries work to provide fresh produce, dairy, protein, and other healthy foods alongside shelf-stable items, while also sustaining the infrastructure behind local food access, from refrigeration to transportation to pantry operations.
“Food insecurity is not just about food,” Executive Director Lev BenEzra said. “It is about dignity, stability, and community connection. This campaign is about making sure our neighbors continue to have somewhere to turn — and making sure no one in our community is forgotten.”
Funds raised through the “Keep Our Neighbors Fed” campaign will help sustain food access operations at Community Action’s Center for Self Reliance in Greenfield and the West County Emergency Food Pantry in Shelburne Falls, buying healthy groceries, keeping the refrigerators running, filling the van with gas for grocery deliveries for homebound individuals, and ensuring neighbors continue to have access to healthy food and community support.
