Food Bank of Western Massachusetts Adds STCC as Member Agency
Springfield Technical Community College (STCC) has become the first college in Massachusetts to join the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts as a member agency. Starting this month, STCC will be a part of the region’s food-assistance network.
STCC was also the first college in Massachusetts to join the Stop & Shop School Food Pantry Program, which provides donations to support the college’s food pantry, known as the Ram Mini Mart. Students who qualify can visit the on-campus Center for Access Services (CAS) to pick up free meals, groceries, and other necessities stored in the Ram Mini Mart.
Stop & Shop offers a school-based food-pantry program to help reduce hunger among students in communities served by the company’s more than 400 stores in the Northeast.
The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts provides healthy food to 173 members of the network in Hampden, Hampshire, Franklin, and Berkshire counties. These independent pantries, meal sites, and shelters are on the front lines, providing food and other resources to individuals, families, seniors, children, college students, people with disabilities, and veterans.
Vice President of Student Affairs Darcey Kemp said CAS is an invaluable resource for STCC students, providing them with support and resources including free school supplies, food, and household goods. “STCC values its partnerships with community organizations like the Food Bank and companies like Stop & Shop. We sincerely appreciate their support.”
José Lopez-Figueroa, director of CAS at STCC, added that “we are thrilled to partner with the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts and continue our partnership with Stop & Shop. They are helping in our effort to ensure that no student is sitting in class hungry or goes home with nothing to eat.”