Published: 11/21/2022 3:51:53 PM
GREENFIELD — With its “Sunday Soup and Sandwiches” free meal program blossoming in popularity, the Episcopal Church of Saints James and Andrew is turning to the community for help keeping local bellies full.
When the program began as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic in April 2020, around 20 to 30 meals would be distributed to hungry locals per Sunday, according to volunteers. By summer 2022, this number had grown around five times as large, with 130 to 150 meals being passed through the church’s service window each week.
“You never know how many people are coming,” noted coordinator Marie Paquette.
“Nobody walks away without food,” commented lead coordinator Erica Burns.
Combined with supply chain issues and an ongoing food insecurity crisis, this increase in traffic at the meals has amounted to financial hardship for the church, which is seeking both financial support and more volunteers.
“In recent months of 2022, skyrocketing food costs have increased food insecurity in Franklin County and have hit Saints James and Andrew’s Soup and Sandwiches hard as well,” Burns said in a statement. “The average cost of $2.50 per meal is rising, and the number who come for a meal has grown dramatically. Many guests, at this point, pick up multiple meals to deliver to neighbors; we don’t turn anyone away or limit what they can receive.”
Volunteer Fred Momaney added that the idea is “people can get two meals because there’s nothing else on Sundays that’s available.”
According to Burns, the church budgeted $12,000 for this year’s Sunday Soup and Sandwiches program, a number the church anticipates increasing for 2023. The program was previously awarded a $10,000 grant by the Episcopal Diocese of Western Massachusetts to help with costs. In 2021, when the average number of meals served had grown to 66, outreach through the Interfaith Council of Franklin County brought in additional volunteers.
Meals typically include a soup or stew, a sandwich, chips, peanut butter crackers, a granola bar, Hershey’s kisses and a drink. Burns said she and her team “try to be as frugal as possible” as they “shop around for deals” to get the food and ingredients. Paquette, who does the bulk of the shopping, said go-to grocery stores include Food City in Turners Falls and Restaurant Depot in Chicopee.
To meet current need and to plan for 2023, parish leaders are reaching out to the larger community for both financial support and additional volunteers. The church is inviting local businesses to sponsor meals and encourage employees to volunteer some time. Anyone interested in contributing to Sunday Soup and Sandwiches is encouraged to do so through the parish office at 8 Church St., via email at sundaysoupsandwiches@gmail.com or through the parish website at saintsjamesandandrew.org.
Reach Julian Mendoza at 413-930-4231 or jmendoza@recorder.com.