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River Valley Co-op Raises More Than $20,000 for Northampton Survival Center

By
Daily News

NORTHAMPTON — On Dec. 2, River Valley Co-op announced a contribution of more than $20,000 to support the Northampton Survival Center. This contribution was made through the co-op’s November Change for Change round-up donations at the checkouts in both the Northampton and Easthampton store locations.

This is the most recent and largest of the co-op’s last four monthly Change for Change contributions to local food security focused nonprofits, which totaled more than $62,000. These contributions included $13,745 for the Easthampton Community Center, $14,064 for the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, $13,915 for Manna Community Kitchen, as well as the November contribution of $20,309 for the Northampton Survival Center.

Each time a customer shops at River Valley Co-op, they are given the opportunity to round up their purchase to the nearest dollar, with the extra cents going into the Change for Change donation fund. That fund is allocated each month to a local nonprofit organization nominated and chosen by co-op member votes.

“This cooperative, community-driven initiative turns small change from thousands of everyday grocery purchases into impactful contributions to support local nonprofits. Food insecurity is especially critical now with our federal government withholding SNAP benefits for several weeks and their announced cuts to this important food security program impacting tens of thousands of vulnerable community members and putting additional demands on our local food pantries to fill the gap,” said Rochelle Prunty, general manager of River Valley Co-op. “This enthusiastic food co-op shopper support shows the power of joining together with small acts of kindness to support each other: when we all give a little, it adds up to making a significant impact.”

The $20,309 raised will enable the Northampton Survival Center to keep up with high levels of increased demand from new and returning clients worried about food insecurity while they navigate threats to SNAP, heating assistance, and general economic instability.

“It’s heartening to know that this community wants to ensure our neighbors are fed,” said Heidi Nortonsmith, executive director of the Northampton Survival Center. “We expect to provide weekly groceries to more than 4,000 clients this year, and these funds help us do that. We encourage folks who are struggling to come to us, secure in knowing that we’ll always have groceries for those who need them. It’s thanks to our community that we’re able to follow through on that promise.”

The success of this campaign underscores River Valley Co-op’s long-standing commitment to supporting local organizations that promote food access, social justice, and community resilience. The Change for Change program has supported dozens of nonprofits across the region by pooling small donations at the register into substantial grants.

River Valley Co-op’s partnership with the Northampton Survival Center began when the store first opened in Northampton in 2008 and began weekly contributions of food. Now with stores in both Northampton and Easthampton, the combined annual contributions of food to the Northampton Survival Center and the Easthampton Community Center total 52 tons annually.

“We are grateful to all our participating shoppers and the great work every day by the staff and volunteers of the Northampton Survival Center, the Easthampton Community Center, the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, Manna Community Kitchen, and other local organizations and people working to address food insecurity,” Prunty added. “We are so happy to be able to work together with these important nonprofits to help address food insecurity in our community.”

The co-op also offers its low-income shoppers at both stores the opportunity to sign up for its Food for All program to get a 10% discount on grocery purchases; both stores also accept SNAP.

Northampton Survival Center Updates Public on Available Services

By
Daily News

NORTHAMPTON — While concern for staff, client, and volunteer health during the COVID-19 pandemic recently forced Northampton Survival Center to temporarily stop client visits to pick up food, the center anticipates resuming modified operations as soon as possible. In the meantime, even though the building is closed, the work continues, with new community partnerships and initiatives springing into action, said Heidi Nortonsmith, executive director.

The center has teamed up with Community Action Pioneer Valley to begin distributing food out of Jackson Street School, a nearby location with ample, circular parking and cafeteria and refrigeration capabilities. Beginning on April 6, every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning, food will be delivered by the Survival Center to the school, where a team of trained personnel will be able to create pre-bagged packages of nutritious food while maintaining safe distancing and other health precautions. On those same afternoons, bags will be carted outdoors under a tent, for quick drive-up intake and food transfer to clients safely in their cars.

Another initiative between the Northampton Survival Center and Grow Food Northampton will begin on April 7, with fresh produce and groceries being delivered every Tuesday to high-need sites including Hampshire Heights, Florence Heights, Meadowbrook, and the Lumber Yard on Pleasant Street. Food distribution at all four sites will work in tandem with the Northampton public-school system and Smith Vocational and Agricultural High School’s new meal-delivery program for children, in order to amplify each other’s efforts to keep children and their entire families fed. Shelf-stable groceries will be paired with fresh produce purchased directly from local farms, as well as produce and other goods purchased from distributors via River Valley Co-op.

With this partnership, in the words of Grow Food Northampton Executive Director Alisa Klein, “we are floating all boats higher and doing exactly what just, successful food systems should do — make the connection between local farmers and the people who need fresh, healthy food the most because of a lack of access, financially and otherwise.”

To serve clients in the hilltowns, food is being brought from the Hilltown Pantry and Northampton Survival Center to the various Councils on Aging that serve the region. COAs in Chesterfield, Worthington, and Goshen have already begun distributing this food from their sites, and further outreach is being coordinated with the Hilltown Community Health Center and the Hilltown Community Development Corp. The center is exploring using a school classroom in Worthington as a mini-pantry, and fresh produce has been shared with the Maples senior housing in Worthington.

Eggs from Northampton Survival Center have been shared with the MANNA hot meal program, and fresh produce and retail donations of bread and other items usually reserved for the center are now being shared with other food pantries in the area, via the center’s partners at the Food Bank.

“These are just a few of the first directions taking shape,” Nortonsmith said. “Please know that we continue to work on the front lines of providing food security to our neighbors in need. The form will be different for a while, as so much around the world has been turned on its head. But our hearts and hands are still in this, and we’re working with great and good leaders across the Valley to do our part. Thank you for being part of our team and cheering us on.”