Giving Tuesday 2017 is tomorrow – will you be participating? Since its inception in 2012, Giving Tuesday has been an antidote to the excesses of the shopping “holidays” of Black Friday, Cyber Monday and all their assorted iterations. Here in Worcester, there are dozens of organizations that benefit our friends and neighbors throughout the year. We’re highlighting 10 community organizations that help fight hunger and food insecurity here in Worcester County. From feeding people to promoting public policies that help ensure an adequate, healthy, and secure food system, these organizations are at the forefront of making sure that every person living in Worcester and surrounding towns has equal access to healthy, affordable, nourishing food, not just during the holidays, but year round. If you and yours are planning to pitch in during Giving Tuesday, please consider supporting one or more of these anti-hunger organizations with your dollars and time.
Worcester County Food Bank
Worcester County Food Bank is the region’s leading anti-hunger organization, distributing more than 6.5 million pounds of food last year. The WCFB works through 128 partner agencies in 60 towns to distribute food to 89,000 individuals. If that were the only thing that the Food Bank does, it would be an amazing agency – but food distribution is just the start of WCFB’s many projects. The agency also advocates for equitable, just and sustainable food policies at the community, state and federal levels. When you choose Worcester County Food Bank for your Giving Tuesday donation, your donations support an entire network of interconnected actions, activities and agencies working to bring about an equitable, just and sustainable food system in Central Massachusetts.
Learn more about how to help Worcester County Food Bank
Regional Environmental Council
The Regional Environmental Council (REC) has a 15-year-long history of leading innovation in the field of food justice and sustainability. Its many projects provide access to healthy, affordable, and sustainable food for all. Your Giving Tuesday donation to REC supports community gardens, farmers markets, the mobile farmers market, urban farms, youth development, and business/economic development. When you give to REC, your dollars support a range of programs, including UGROW, YouthGROW, Community Farmers Markets, the REC Mobile Farmers Market (now with winter hours!), and the Worcester Regional Food Hub and Incubator Kitchen.
Learn more about ways to help Regional Environmental Council
Veterans Inc
Originally begun as a shelter for homeless veterans in 1991, Veterans Inc. has become one of the largest organizations dedicated to assisting veterans in nearly every way. Utilizing a holistic focus, the organization provides housing, employment and training assistance, advocacy and assistance in getting necessary health care, and myriad other services. In addition, Veterans Inc. also provides daily meals 365 days a year, and manages a pantry for those in need of food. Your donation to Veterans Inc. helps support veterans in need, and can literally save lives.
Learn more about how to help Veterans Inc.
Community Harvest Project
The Community Harvest Project brings together volunteers to farm produce for those facing hunger and food insecurity. Much of the produce harvested at the CHP farm and orchards is donated to the Worcester County Food Bank for distribution through partner agencies. CHP also donates produce to the Grafton Food Bank, the Hector Reyes House in Worcester, Jamaica Plain-based Community Servings, and the Farm to Health Initiative. The farms in Grafton and Harvard are open to scheduled (and sometimes drop-in) volunteers, providing opportunities for 10,000 volunteers (in 2016 alone) to help feed their neighbors – and learn more about where their food comes from in the process. CHP also runs an education program for groups of all ages, both onsite and off.
Learn more about donating to Community Harvest Project
Rachel’s Table
“Rachel’s Table is a volunteer-based group that transports unserved and unsold prepared and perishable foods that otherwise would be wasted.” This line from the organization’s website explains what the organization does – but it barely touches on the breadth of its contributions to fighting hunger in Worcester. A project of the Jewish Federation of Central Mass, Rachel’s Table sends trained volunteers out to pick up prepared, perishable foods from area businesses and organizations who find themselves with excess food – food that would otherwise be thrown away or wasted. The meals are distributed to 35 shelters, soup kitchens and neighborhood food pantries. Your Giving Tuesday donation to Rachel’s Table will also help support The Children’s Milk Fund Project, which provides 724 gallons of milk weekly to children at 21 social service agencies throughout the region, and helps buy fresh fruits and vegetables for Worcester’s Summer Meals program and HOAP, the Homeless Outreach and Advocacy Project.
Learn how to donate or volunteer at Rachel’s Table
CENTRO
Originally founded as Centro Los Americas in 1977 to serve the Puerto Rican community in Worcester, Centro has expanded its mission to serve families and individuals from North, Central, and South America, as well as from the African Continent, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East. The agency’s overall mission is to assist families and individuals to achieve self-sufficiency and reach their dreams while promoting social responsibility, fostering cultural identity, and encouraging families to be significant contributors to the community as a whole. Among its many programs, Centro operates the second-largest emergency food pantry in the area. Your Giving Tuesday donation to Centro helps support a wide range of services for families and individuals working to overcome adversity and become self-sufficient.
Learn more about helping Centro
Dismas Family Farm
Dismas Family Farm, a program of Dismas House, helps former prisoners re-integrate into the community, working with them to rebuild their lives. Dismas House Family Farm is a working, traditional farm where residents learn and practice farming, animal husbandry, barn management and woodworking skills. In addition, they learn marketing strategies and techniques, as goods produced at the farm are sold through a number of venues, including Westborough Farmers Market and the Canal District Farmers Market. Your Giving Tuesday gift to Dismas House supports vocational and educational services for former prisoners in a substance-free, supportive environment, while adding a valuable supportive piece to the Worcester County food system.
Learn more about donating to Dismas House Family Farm
Abby’s House
Operating since 1976, Abby’s House is one of the first shelters in the nation created specifically to meet the needs of women and children. Since then, Abby’s House has provided a safe place for 11,500 women and children to live, regroup and rebuild their lives. It is the largest provider of affordable housing specifically for women and children in the area, and offers a wide range of services to assist families in becoming independent and self-sufficient. Abby’s House prepares and provides more than 10,000 nutritious meals to guests and residents each year, in the belief that regular, nutritious meals are an essential part of the healing and rebuilding process.
Learn more about supporting Abby’s House
Worcester Roots
Worcester Roots is a collective of adults and youth who work to create economic, social and environmental justice through a variety of projects, initiatives and direct actions. Its many projects have included Nuestro Huerto farm, Toxic Soil Busters, SAGE (Solidarity and Green Economy) Alliance, Co-op Academy and a pilot aquaponics greenhouse. Worcester Roots focuses broadly on anti-hunger efforts by providing training and economic opportunities to address the root causes of hunger – poverty and lack of equitable opportunity. The collective also focuses on green energy, green jobs and apprenticeships in the building trades.
Learn more about being involved with Worcester Roots or donating to Worcester Roots
Black Seed Farmers Market
A project of Muslim Community Link, Black Seed Farmers Market is more than a place to buy fresh produce, halal meat and other local products. It’s a conscious effort to rebuild community by connecting community members of diverse backgrounds with each other, as well as with local farmers, some of whom are recent immigrants and/or refugees in order to foster wellness, belonging, and a supportive local economy around healthy food. The market empowers community members to take their health into their own hands through access to healthier food choices. In addition to the market itself, Black Seed Farmers Market helps support local farmers, and provides jobs and mentoring for youth through its youth development program.The ultimate goal of the Black Seed Farmers Market is to improve access to healthy foods, foster and mentor youth, and bolster food security in Central Mass.
Learn more about how you can help Black Seed Farmers Market
These are just a few of the many community organizations that are engaged in the fight against hunger in Central Mass. Throughout the month, we’ll be featuring others, including food pantries, shelters, soup kitchens, health programs and many others that help build food security in our region and improve access to healthy, nutritious foods for all of our neighbors.
