Aligned Impact 2025-2028 Focus: Food Security
The Challenge: For many families in our community, affording enough healthy food to eat is a constant worry. This forces them to make difficult choices between buying groceries and other basic needs like paying rent or getting medicine. This creates a cycle of stress that impacts the well-being of our entire community.
Our Solution: A Collaborative Network: United Way is working with partners across our region and the state to make sure every person has access to healthy, nutritious food. We are building a strong, collaborative network that provides immediate help while also working to create long-term stability for families. Our strategy is simple: by coming together, we can ensure that our neighbors have the fuel they need to thrive.
Partnering with Government: We know that to create lasting change, we must work with our state's leaders. We are proud to be a partner in this critical work.
Governor Healey's Anti-Hunger Task Force: We are a voice on Governor Maura Healey's Anti-Hunger Task Force, a statewide initiative bringing together government officials, nonprofits, and community leaders to create long-term solutions to hunger in Massachusetts.
Massachusetts Farm Resiliency Fund: We also joined with the Healey-Driscoll Administration to establish the Massachusetts Farm Resiliency Fund. This public-private partnership provided critical financial support to our local farms that were impacted by severe weather, ensuring they can continue to grow the local food our community relies on.
A Coordinated Approach to Food Distribution: These programs were awarded funding through UWFH’s Community Investment process in support of their important work of making sure our community is well-fed:
The Amherst Survival Center’s vital community resource hub builds the food security of thousands of Hampshire & Franklin County residents annually, through its multi-agency collaboration. Together with its partners, the Center provides free meals, groceries, medical care, specialized services for those experiencing homelessness, wraparound services that address the whole person’s needs, and a welcoming community – effectively improving food security, economic stability, and quality of life.
Hilltown Community Development Corporation: Hilltown Market
Hilltown Market is a program of the Hilltown Community Development Corporation, a nonprofit, farmer-led grocery store increasing access to fresh, local food for rural, low-income residents. Through retail, delivery, subsidized markets, and food assistance programs, they support small farms, reduce food system mileage, and provide affordable, healthy food.
Montague Food Security & Sustainability Coalition
Supporting agencies: Brick House Community Resource Center, Drawdown Montague, Dynamics Ecological Design, 4th Street Community Kitchen, Franklin County Community Meals Program/Our Lady of Peace, The Heartwing Center, Montague Public Libraries, Red Fire Farm, Town of Montague
The Montague Coalition addresses food insecurity in Montague, MA, by leveraging assets and resources to a common goal. Key elements include: building a network of Coalition partners, increasing food accessibility, expanding partnerships between food pantries, developing a community kitchen, expanding community meals, supporting community gardens & orchards, gardening & cooking classes, seed swaps, Harvest Days & gardening support, and community-based activities to unite pantry users, gardeners & providers.
Northampton Survival Center & Grow Food Northampton: Collaborative Partnership
The Northampton Survival Center and Grow Food Northampton strengthened their collaboration – originally forged at the start of the pandemic – to increase food security and enhance health and self-sufficiency of low-income Hampshire County residents. Expanding and realigning their partnership brings a wider range of choices to community members, a larger bounty of fresh local farm foods, opportunities to grow food, and an augmented network of resources and educational opportunities.
For more information about food access and security needs in our region, please review these local data sources:
Baystate Franklin Medical Center, 2022 Community Health Needs Assessment (Prioritized Health Need - Social and Economic Factors that Impact Health: Healthy Food)
Cooley Dickinson Hospital, 2022 Community Health Needs Assessment (Prioritized Health Need - Social and Economic Determinants of Health: Food Access)
Franklin County & North Quabbin Community Health Improvement Plan, 2024-2028 Goals and Objectives (Health Priority Goal: Food Access)