Opinion

By Community Action Pioneer Valley

As Gov. Maura Healey called on the Trump administration late last month unfreeze SNAP benefits (an issue that remained unresolved at press time), Community Action Pioneer Valley’s Center for Self-Reliance food pantries in Greenfield and Shelburne Falls were preparing for an unprecedented surge in need while facing their own funding crisis.

More than 1.1 million Massachusetts residents — including thousands in Franklin & Hampshire Counties — were set to lose their SNAP benefits. Simultaneously, the Trump administration has been targeting Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) funding for elimination, threatening the very resources that allow the Center for Self-Reliance to operate.

The crisis highlighted the importance of regional food security programs. In the most recent program year, the Center for Self-Reliance provided free, nutritious food to 3,341 neighbors across Franklin County, distributing 184 tons of food — the equivalent of 25 meals per person. The food pantries served an average of 1,400 people per month, with 27% of those served being children.

Unlike some food pantry distributions, the Center for Self-Reliance operates as a client choice food pantry open four days a week, allowing shoppers to select their own groceries, produce, and frozen meat. Forty percent of all food distributed is fresh produce.

“Dignity starts at the front door,” said Cheo Ramos, program coordinator. “When people can shop for what they want and need, rather than receiving a pre-packed bag, it honors their autonomy and ensures food doesn’t go to waste.”

The CAPV food pantries serve a diverse community, with staff speaking Spanish, English, Portuguese, Russian, and Moldovan to better connect with participants. A team of 25 volunteers donated 2,972 hours of time last year, helping make the program possible.

The Center for Self-Reliance’s partnership with the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts and other suppliers allows it to stretch donated dollars remarkably far.

“For every dollar you give me, I can turn it into three,” Ramos explained. But this efficiency depends on CSBG funding, which covers essential operating costs, including staff, facilities, and the infrastructure that makes bulk purchasing and food distribution possible.

If SNAP benefits freeze and CSBG funding is eliminated, the Center for Self-Reliance will face an impossible situation: serving dramatically more people with dramatically fewer resources.

How can you help? The Center for Self-Reliance is calling on community members to donate funds at www.communityaction.us/giving, which can be stretched further than food donations; volunteer time at the Greenfield location to help with food distribution and/or making deliveries; spread awareness about the crisis facing food security programs; and contact elected officials to protect SNAP benefits and CSBG funding.