School is out for the summer, which means it’s time for camps, swimming, barbecues, vacation, endless free playtime and kids just being kids. Right?
For many families the answer is “yes.” But for other families, the answer is complex. For them, the immediate concern is how their children will be fed. Many families are part of the school free meal program, which provides their children with breakfast and lunch if their families fall below a certain income threshold.
For those families and especially their children, summer may not be a time of carefree play. Instead, it may be a time of stress, a time to wonder from where the next meal will come. That is not an easy decision for many families. Their budgets are already stretched thin, with the parents working multiple jobs, struggling to find transportation to those jobs and deciding how to allocate a limited income among multiple conflicting demands.
Children’s nutrition should not be sacrificed in that decision-making process.
Fortunately, in our community the Northampton Survival Center has created the Kids’ Summer Food Program to fill the nutritional void that arises when summer arrives. The program will feed 600 children from 18 communities across Hampshire County breakfast and lunch every weekday this summer.
The program is funded mostly by individuals who donate generously each year to the program. For two years the center has held an event to raise funds for this program at Coco and the Cellar Bar, a fabulous Easthampton restaurant owned and operated by Unmi Abkin and Roger Taylor.
Unmi and Roger have generously opened up the restaurant on a Sunday in the spring to host the program’s fundraising event. And each time it has been a success, thanks in large part to Unmi and Roger, the Coco staff, the generous donors, and board members who organize the event. Many at the event told me they love the center and are happy to donate. Thank you!
But that event and the center itself are also successful because of the hard work and dedication of the center’s staff (Sarah Pease, Diane Drohan, Walter Clune and Amy Marsters), Executive Director Heidi Nortonsmith, consultants and advisers, and the hundreds of volunteers who pitch in week after week throughout the year.
Month after month, the center meets its mission of “improving the quality of life for low-income individuals and families throughout Hampshire County by providing nutritious food and other resources in an atmosphere of dignity and respect.”
Heidi and her staff are constantly looking for ways to improve the center and better serve their clients. Among other things, they have greatly increased the quality and diversity of the food; provided greater access via public transportation; secured regular contributions of food from local farms and other local suppliers; and conducted research to make sure they’re feeding all deserving families and individuals.
They’ve also provided clients with access within the center to other necessary social services and have held volunteer and business donor appreciation events.
We are fortunate to have such a dynamic and successful food and clothing pantry in our community. The community is richer for it.
But it would not be possible without such a generous community — those who give annually (or monthly, through our Bread & Butter program) in whatever way they deem appropriate.
And some of those who give also donate their time and wisdom by serving on the center’s board. Many thanks to the center’s staff ,volunteers, directors and donors. Well done, keep up the good work and congratulations on the Kids’ Program.
Timothy Jones is president of the Northampton Survival Center board of directors. The center is located at 265 Prospect St. For information on its programs, call 586-6564.