Indian Orchard Citizens council opens food pantry for families in Massachusetts

The Indian Orchard Citizens Council opened a mutual aid food pantry next to Myrtle Street Park in Springfield, Massachusetts.

The council used a $10,000 award from the Community Foundation of Western Mass to establish the site. The new pantry provides groceries like fruit, soup, and canned goods to local residents. The council launched the pantry because its existing senior food program had strict eligibility rules.

Jackie Farrow, the council office manager, noted that younger people and families were frequently seeking help but did not qualify for the senior program. The council established the new pantry to ensure these neighbors could access food instead of being turned away. Local residents face high grocery prices and limited resources. Vitaliy Sour, a resident who receives Social Security in retirement, described the difficulty of choosing which items to buy as prices rise.

The pantry offers a local source of food for households like his, reducing the need to travel across the city to other food assistance sites. The council plans to provide food for Thanksgiving. The pantry currently holds a full stock of supplies thanks to donations from local businesses and individual donors. Farrow mentioned that the community faces ongoing challenges, including the possibility of federal cuts to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits.