AGAWAM — Nearly a year since its inception, the Feeding Hills Congregational Church Cupboard, 21 N. Westfield St., has seen hundreds of people come through its doors and distributed more than 4,550 items of food or self-care.
While it has been a successful program, Pastor Janet Brown wants people to know that the cupboard still needs help to help those in need.
In February 2025, leadership at the church decided to do something about a problem it saw in its community: an epidemic of food insecurity. According to a 2025 study from Mass General Brigham and the Greater Boston Food Bank, 54% of Hampden County residents were food insecure. Hampden County experiences the highest levels of food insecurity in the state, which averages 37% food insecurity. These figures are trending upward year over year, with Hampden County up 6 points from 2024, while Hampshire and Franklin counties are up 13 points, resulting in 50% of residents being food insecure.
Brown said many at the church have been shocked to learn just how many local people are struggling. She was not surprised, though.
“People you see on the street and think, ‘Yeah, they’re doing okay.’ They’re not okay,” she said. The cupboard serves more than 50 households, and 108 individuals, a third of whom are children. She said numbers of families and seniors among the patrons are fairly equal. Of those that visit the cupboard, 66% live in Agawam or Feeding Hills.
In May 2025, the Church Cupboard officially opened its doors, allowing families, individuals and seniors to supplement their groceries in what Brown described as “a comfortable and welcoming environment.” She explained that people register with basic information, so the church knows how many people are living in each home they serve. No information about income, location or immigration status is collected as part of the process.
After registering, people are eligible to visit the cupboard once a month. They are given what Brown called a “grocery list” and, with the help of a volunteer, shop in the cupboard for the items on the list. The size of the household determines the amount of food that is available to them. “If you have two people in the home, you can grab two boxes of pasta,” Brown said as an example. Allowing people to shop, rather than handing out a premade bag of staples, provides dignity or the cupboard user and eliminates the waste that results from people not using everything in the bag.
Brown said people have been “very generous,” and thanked the many people and organizations that have helped sustain the Church Cupboard of the past year. Their donation helped the church keep the shelves stocked President Donald Trump’s administration halted Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program payments during the government shutdown in November 2025.The donations kept flowing in throughout the holidays, as well. The church has seen an expected “plateau” of donations in January, Brown said, but the community’s need is still great. To encourage donations, the church is hosting its Church Cupboard Open House on Saturday, Feb. 14, from 9 a.m. to noon.
Brown said everyone is welcome to use the cupboard, regardless of religious affiliation. “We’re not trying to convert people to be new members,” she assured. “It’s a great way to connect with people. People will come in and have a cup of coffee and just talk.” She said the church just wants to “encourage people to keep taking care of each other.”
The cupboard is open on the first and third Saturdays of each month, 9-11 a.m. in the church hall. Donations can be dropped off on days when the cupboard is open, from 8:30 until 11 a.m. The cupboard has an emergency need for some staples. These include crackers, peanut butter and jelly, canned fruit, baked beans, drinks, pancake mix and syrup and toiletries.
For more information about the Church Cupboard, call 413-786-5061 or visit fhccucc.org.
