Dear Friends and Neighbors,

As we move into summer, I thought I would take a moment to reflect on my first two months at Franklin County Community Meals Program (FCCMP). Some of my thoughts can also be found in a lovely article written about us in The Recorder last week. I hope you’ll check it out. After a long career in education, most recently at the helm of the Greenfield Center School, working at a nonprofit that actively provides meals and groceries to people in need has offered me a natural next step in my journey of service. Working every day with students, teachers, and families for years definitely set me in good stead for my role at FCCMP. Like a school, FCCMP is a hub with a heartbeat. It seeks to nurture, to be creative in its approach, and to prioritize the dignity and well-being of its constituents. So, I feel truly at home. FCCMP is also like a school in that it hums with collaboration. Its staff is passionate and mission-driven and people-focused. Folks who work here are ALWAYS ready to roll up their sleeves, ALWAYS ready to step up and make a difference. Our van driver and site steward, Jared; amazing cooks, Amy and Nino; our pantry manager, Jessie; our associate director, Nancy; our finance manager, Kriss; our kitchen assistant, Trisha; and our Communications and Operations maven, Mandi, are committed to working as a team and love a challenge. No effort is too great if it is going to help folks get the nourishment and care they deserve.

Recent scenes from each site:

In Turners Falls: Amy, the meal site coordinator, cheered on our volunteers, playfully sang silly songs in the kitchen to keep them entertained, and offered a kind and sympathetic listening ear to folks getting food in line.

In Greenfield: Trisha, our kitchen assistant, patiently brought along a host of new staff, including Nino, Nancy and me, teaching us the rhythms and nuances of that site and introducing us to the regulars in such a loving way.

In Orange: Jessie, the manager of the pantry, and Jared, our steward, basked in the cool breezes offered by our new minisplits (provided by Community Foundation of North Central MA and USDA grants and an anonymous donation), welcoming several first time customers as well as familiar faces and offering an assortment of tasty groceries to choose from, including fresh eggs, lettuces, and everyone’s favorite: delicious desserts from our partners at Hannaford.

That’s just a snippet. There is so much more happening behind the scenes… meetings with the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, the Mayor of Greenfield, Dean’s Beans (a new and exciting sponsor of FCCMP), not to mention my recent trip with other Western Mass business leaders to the State House, hosted by another of our sponsors, Greenfield Savings Bank. It was a fascinating day, where we were briefed by several representatives including Senator Jo Comerford, Representative Susannah Whipps, and Economic Development Secretary, Eric Paley. My head was spinning with all the information regarding our state’s projects and initiatives on everything from housing, to farming and food systems, to transportation.

One thing that really stayed with me from that visit was something Secretary Paley said. I can’t get it out of my head. I’ll paraphrase: he said that if Massachusetts were a country, its GDP per capita would rank top five in the world. This is primarily driven by its heavy concentration in education, life sciences, healthcare, and technology. Let that sink in for a minute. And then let’s ask ourselves, how, if that’s true (and I believe the guy)—how is it possible that our state has ANYONE who is going hungry and/or is unhoused? It really put a bee in my bonnet—about the true cost of capitalism—and it made me want to shout from the rooftops: LET’S END HUNGER IN OUR REGION! WE CAN DO IT! MASSACHUSETTS STATE GOVERNMENT! LOCAL GOVERNMENTS! WE ARE CALLING ON YOU! And also, how can we help make this happen?

That, by the way, is why we met with Mayor Desorgher of Greenfield last week: to ask how FCCMP can help move (push) Greenfield strongly in the direction of being a hunger-free city! HUNGER-FREE! Doesn’t that sound AMAZING?

Let’s work together on this.

And in the meantime, if you want to help us here at FCCMP with this initiative, or with the work of feeding people in multiple towns every week, please don’t hesitate to reach out. We accept donations and we also welcome volunteers.

In solidarity,

Charlie Spencer, she/her

Franklin County Community Meals Program