West County Food Pantry seeks creative solutions to make up $50K loss of funding next fall

Cowell Gymnasium on Maple Street in Shelburne Falls houses the West County Food Pantry operated by Community Action Pioneer Valley. STAFF FILE PHOTO/PAUL FRANZ
Published: 01-02-2025 1:34 PM
Modified: 01-27-2025 10:13 AM |
SHELBURNE FALLS — With the towns of Shelburne and Buckland shifting the focus of their Community Development Block Grants to housing, the West County Food Pantry operated by Community Action Pioneer Valley will be facing a $50,000 budget deficit and looking for creative financing solutions come next fall.
The pantry is fully funded through September and services are expected to continue as normal for the 126 families the pantry feeds each month, in addition to the thousands fed at the Community Action Pioneer Valley’s Center for Self-Reliance in Greenfield and the dozens of meals delivered to residents, according to Director of Community Services Frances Hall. But even beyond September, Community Action is prepared to maintain services and is eyeing grant opportunities to bridge that gap.
“We don’t predict any immediate changes,” Hall said. “We’re committed to serving that community the best we can.”
It costs roughly $350,000 each year to operate both the Center for Self-Reliance in Greenfield and the West County Food Pantry at Cowell Gymnasium on Maple Street, according to Cheo Ramos, manager of both facilities. The pantry is funded through numerous sources, including state and federal contracts and grants, donations and contributions from municipalities.
The towns of Buckland and Shelburne had been allocating $25,000 each from their Community Development Block Grants, awarded through the Massachusetts Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities. However, with the most recent grant cycle, the towns are shifting their focus to supporting affordable housing projects.
“Now that Buckland has transitioned its Community Development Block Grant applications from infrastructure projects to housing rehab, and the Franklin County [Regional Housing & Redevelopment Authority] is managing our CDBG applications, there is not a component of the food pantry in the last round of funding we received,” Buckland Town Administrator Heather Butler explained during a Dec. 10 Selectboard meeting.
“It was not an intended consequence,” Butler added. “We all made the decision to transition our funding initiatives, but we also know a lot of residents rely on that and we don’t want to see it go away.”
Buckland Selectboard members agreed they would like to help the food pantry and would explore funding options, but wanted to ensure the pantry would be able to become self-sustaining. They agreed to investigate options and work with the pantry on a transition plan, weaning the pantry off town funds.
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“Anything we can do to keep it would be in the best interest of the town, but at some point our funding is going to be gone,” said Selectboard Chair Clint Phillips.
Hall emphasized that Community Action has no plans to close the pantry and the organization will do everything it can to keep its doors open without financial support from Shelburne or Buckland. She added that Community Action is incredibly grateful for the support it has received from the towns over the years.
The loss of the funding will be difficult for the pantry, but Hall is confident that Community Action will persevere and find other sources that will allow them to maintain the pantry’s current hours on Wednesdays. Community Action staff will seek grants to bridge the gap and are always accepting donations.
Ramos noted that both volunteering and donations spiked during the pandemic and have decreased since. Community Action appreciates every donation, especially cash donations as the pantry can stretch dollars further when purchasing food in bulk.
Community Action is planning a fundraiser for February and will announce more details as the event approaches.
Reach Madison Schofield at 413-930-4579 or mschofield@recorder.com.
An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated the cost to run the West County Food Pantry. It costs roughly $350,000 each year to operate both Community Action Pioneer Valley’s Center for Self-Reliance in Greenfield and the West County Food Pantry at Cowell Gymnasium, according to Cheo Ramos, manager of both facilities.