EASTHAMPTON — Robin Bialecki has been unlocking doors for hundreds of people throughout western Massachusetts over the last two decades through her involvement with the Easthampton Community Center. Now, the longtime resident is being honored as the first recipient of a new Keys to the City program.
“I was shocked,” Bialecki said when she found out she was selected. “What I do here is just what I do. It’s a wonderful program. We love helping people and I do work with everybody in the city.”
The new Keys to the City program seeks to honor individuals who make significant contributions to the community. It aims to celebrate extraordinary individuals who have fulfilled achievements through leadership in arts, education, business, service and environmental stewardship.
Bialecki has been an Easthampton resident for more than 40 years and first got involved at the Community Center about 18 years ago, when her daughter needed a space to organize a Girl Scout troop. She became the executive director in 2008 and her achievements since then cannot be understated by those close to her.
“She’s amazing,” said resident Bobby Wojczyk, who volunteers at the center. “She gets here early in the morning and stays until late at night everyday of the week. If there’s people who have a problem, she will help them no matter what.”
Currently, the Easthampton Community Center serves as a food pantry, but does much more than that. According to Bialecki, last year the center gave out more than 2.5 million pounds of food, reaching people as far as North Adams. The Center makes more than 200 food deliveries a week to people who do not have transportation access, while running a brown bag program that gives seniors over the age of 55 access to an additional meal a month. Additionally, the Center provides a Community Care Kitchen, a Kid’s Bag Pantry Program giving children under 18 food for a school week and provides gluten-free and allergy safe options.
Everyday looks a little different for Bialecki. She noted her job requires flexibility to make due with what is donated.
“Somebody said, watching me during the course of a day is like watching a juggler with all the balls in the air, and it is,” she said. “It changes absolutely daily. We never know what we’re getting donated.”
I love being busy and we have the greatest people that come through here. We really do
Robin Bialecki
New program begins
For Interim Mayor Salem Derby, who introduced the program and selected Bialecki as the first recipient, the decision couldn’t have been easier. Once he became interim mayor this summer, Derby decided to go meet Bialecki to learn more about the Community Center.
“She blew me away. The only thing I could think of is she’s a rock star of community outreach, it was just amazing,” he said. “Her attitude, humbleness and her ability to just make such a huge difference with such a kind of small footprint … I was just so impressed and so kind of awestruck that it was immediate — I knew right away she had to be the first recipient.”
Derby launched the new program as one of his first actions as interim mayor. He said he had the idea before the transition, but his interim role provided the opportunity to create something that would help foster community within the city.
“For a city to be a successful, thriving place, you need to have citizens that feel engaged and feel connected,” Derby said. “I wanted to try to find a way to foster some of that connection and to help people understand that we’re all in this together. The people here in City Hall aren’t overlords. We’re your neighbor and we care about the community, we care about the things that are happening, so I felt like that would be a really cool way to create that connection.”
The Community Center moved into the more than a century-old building in 1973. Previously, the space hosted mixed-martial arts and painting classes, free weekly dinners and many events including several weddings. The Center shut many services down during the pandemic and has operated as a food pantry since. That, combined with recent federal funding cuts, have made resources leaner to work with, Bialecki said.
Since becoming a food pantry it has become more difficult to host meetings since there is not as much space, though they still provide community activities such as a knitting group. Other services the Center provides include a backpack and holiday program that help provide children with toys, clothing, and school supplies.
Bialecki emphasized while the Center gives out lots of food, her job is more important to provide overall support to those in need.
“It’s very, very difficult to ask for help, to come in and say, ‘I can’t feed my family. I need help.’ That is so hard to do and we try to make that easier,” she said. “We try to understand what people are always saying … I need to talk to people, I need to find out what their needs are and every family has a different need.”
Bialecki’s favorite part about working at the Center is working with all of the more than 200 volunteers that work on and off to fulfill their mission, “I have an amazing crew of volunteers that are out there in the hot and the cold.”
She noted part of why Derby chose her as the first recipient is due to the number of city departments the Center engages with. In cases of emergency, the Center helps provide clothing through their Clothing Closet to those in need.
“We work with the Council on Aging, police and fire. If there’s an emergency, somebody you know who has had a fire in their home or they know of a family that’s in desperate need of food or clothing supplies. Whatever we can do here,” Bialecki said.
Bialecki will be honored at an upcoming City Council meeting with a ceremonial key, a framed proclamation outlining her contributions, and recognition on the city’s website and social media.
In the future, the public will be able to nominate people they feel deserve the award, Derby said. Additionally, the mayor may select a recipient if they feel the person deserves the award. A selection committee will also be used each year, made up of the mayor, one City Council representative, one past recipient and two community members appointed by the mayor. Funding will be minimal, drawn primarily from the city budget, with optional sponsorships or donations supporting presentation costs. A public record of the honorees will be maintained.
Food distribution at the Center takes place Monday and Wednesday from 9 a.m. to noon and 4-7 p.m.
“I love being busy and we have the greatest people that come through here. We really do,” Bialecki said.
