Page 6 - BusinessWest November 9, 2020

Andrew Morehouse stands in the warehouse at the Food Bank’s complex
in Hatfield.
Tightening the Safety Net
Food Bank Responds to Rising Need Fueled by the Pandemic
BAy George O’Brien
s Andrew Morehouse conducted his tour
of the facilities at the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, the sights and sounds
helped tell the story that is emerging at this agency — and within this region — at a critical time.
The first thing to notice was the copi- ous amounts of food of all kinds — from sweet potatoes in huge bins to hundreds of cases of canned tuna — now stored at the complex in Hatfield and in other loca- tions as well, destined for local meal sites and food pantries. Indeed, the Food Bank is “over capacity,” as Morehouse, its execu- tive director, put it, because of the soaring numbers of people who are now facing food insecurity in the wake of the pandem- ic, and the way government agencies, busi- nesses, and individuals have responded to those numbers.
This capacity issue was clearly in evi- dence, with pallets of food stacked not only on the shelves and the floor space of the warehouse, but in the hallways leading to it as well.
“The warehouse is jam-packed; we’re storing food off site, and we’re moving it faster,” he explained. “We’ve brought on additional staff, we’ve purchased another van, we’re about to purchase another truck so we can move food as quickly as pos- sible. The pandemic has put us over the top in a big way, so we’re looking at options for expansion.”
As for the sounds ... well, the Food Bank was mostly quiet at the hour of this visit
— late morning, approaching noon — but the few workers on the floor were talking about what they witnessed in the parking lot of Central High School in Springfield, where a drive-thru food-distribution site, supported in part by the Food Bank, has been established. The staffers were talking about long lines of vehicles, and how this has become a constant, or a new norm, with this initiative.
Meanwhile, fewer people are working at the Hatfield facility, with many more work- ing remotely because of the pandemic, and a host of safety protocols in place to keep those who do come in — and the public in general — safe.
In many ways, the Food Bank — and
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NOVEMBER 9, 2020
FEATURE
BusinessWest