Volunteers help load the cars with boxes of food, hygiene essentials and school supplies during the event.
Reminder Publishing photo by Tyler Garnet
CHICOPEE — Price Rite Marketplace and Feed the Children partnered with the Boys and Girls Club of Chicopee and Pepsi to provide food and essentials to families experiencing food insecurity in the Chicopee area.
A total of 400 local families received a 25-pound box of food, a 15-pound box of hygiene essentials, backpacks filled with school supplies, Price Rite Marketplace gift cards and more.
The families were pre-identified by the Boys and Girls Club of Chicopee.
People at the event included state Sen. Adam Gomez (D-Springfield), state Rep. Shirley Arriaga (D-Chicopee), representatives from Mayor John Vieau’s office, Boys and Girls Club of Chicopee Executive Director Jason Reed, Price Rite Marketplace President Kevin McDonnell and Feed the Children Senior Director of Corporate Partnerships Joe Allegro. There were also multiple volunteers who, even in the rain, made sure to supply each family that drove up their care packaged goods.
Each speaker took the time to highlight partnership but also give a shoutout and thanks to those volunteering.
Arriaga was appreciative of all the work this partnership is doing for those families in need.
She said, “What you guys are all doing here today, feeding the children — the connection with Chicopee, the connection with our state to ensure that food security is addressed. We know that we’re not going to take care of it today, but this is a big, big impact especially for our children who don’t have to go home and go to bed hungry.”
Gomez also said that himself, his family and many community members he knows look at Price Rite as a place that they can purchase their food at an affordable price.
Fighting hunger is one of Price Rite Marketplace’s charitable giving and paired with Feed the Children’s vision to create a world where no child goes to bed hungry, they created the Feeding Minds & Bodies initiative.
This year marks 10 years of Price Rite Marketplace and Feed the Children teaming up to tackle childhood hunger and promote healthy childhood development by providing families with food, personal care items, books and school supplies that kids need to thrive.
Allegro talked about the 10-year partnership between Price Rite and Feed the Children and said Price Rite has given out over $13 million worth of product to communities during that time.
Allegro also explained the impact these boxes can have for families.
He said, “In Chicopee there’s 6,230 children who go to bed hungry every night, they don’t know where their next meal is going to come from. That’s a fairly large number. It’s 11.2% of the community that live in insecure homes. Every box that we give out is 20 meals in each of those boxes. For a week to two weeks those families won’t have to worry where their next meal is going to come from.”
McDonnell expressed his gratitude for the work this partnership is doing for communities and that it couldn’t be accomplished without the volunteers and employees.
McDonnell added, “Thank you Price Rite people for coming out today. Ultimately, we are out here to help our community and the people who need it. So proud of all the work that you do every day and everything you do for us to help provide good, affordable food for our customers.”
This is the second year of Price Rite Marketplace having an exclusive partnerships with boys and girls clubs.
Reed said that anyone who volunteered is making a lasting impact on so many people.
“We appreciate the support; we appreciate the partnership. It’s great to see all the organizations and talk to them about supporting boys and girls clubs. It’s a great day serving lots of families,” Reed added.
