Page 21 - BusinessWest 2024 Difference Makers

local organizations with programs to feed children.
There are many of them because the need is great, said Mary Kay, adding that they eventually created partnerships
with Square One, Pioneer Valley Power Packs (PVPP), and the HPS Weekend Backpack program, which provides 250 to 500 Holyoke children with a backpack of nutritious food to tide them over until they return to school on Monday.
But some of these programs, and especially No Kid Hungry, provide more than food, said Fred, adding that education is also critically important.
“They have programs that educate parents about making smart food choices because sometimes, kids are just getting the wrong foods,” he explained. “It’s
not just that they’re not getting enough; they’re getting the wrong kinds.”
And the need is only growing within the region, said both the Kadushins and those operating the nonprofits they support.
Indeed, Bianca said Pioneer Valley
Power Packs saw a 65% increase in need in
2023, a surge she attributes to inflation, rising rents, an overall softening of the economy that saw more people out of work, and an end to some COVID-related relief programs.
There is a waiting list for students to receive the power packs, which consist of two breakfasts, two lunches, and some snacks, she said, adding that, thanks to the donation from the Feed the Kids tournament and auction, the agency was able to take some young people off that waiting list.
“They’re our largest supporter,” she said. “If not for them, we wouldn’t have a program.”
The Feed the Kids golf tournament has drawn the support of dozens of local businesses and become a summer tradition in Western Mass.
Investment Plan
The golf tournament created to support PVPP and other organizations fighting childhood food insecurity, staged annually at Springfield Country Club, has become a labor of love for the Kadushins and a small army of volunteers that lend support and handle assignments from
securing items for the
auction to working at the
“They have programs that educate parents about making smart food choices because sometimes, kids are just getting the wrong foods. It’s not just that they’re not getting enough; they’re getting the ” wrong kinds.
Kadushin >> Continued on page A41
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