The Morning Show's Zito and Suzanne sit down with Ramona Matos, an outreach worker at the Raymond A Jordan Center in Springfield, to talk about the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts.
"An outreach worker is someone who works in the community to try to link up participants with any resources that they may need," Matos explains.
Matos works closely with the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts through their Brown Bag program.
"They provide a bag-worth of non-perishable foods once a month to seniors 55 and older who are in need of additional food resources."
Each month, the Raymond A Jordan Center informs participants of the program and encourages anyone in need to apply.
"Sometimes there's folks that need food, but can't come to our Center to pick it up, so we just drop it off to them, as well."
Matos has witnessed firsthand how crucial the program is.
Over the summer, when businesses and programs were closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Matos came across a family in need of assistance.
"They're saying you know, 'I need food. I need food.'"
"I said, 'OK, you know, let's – let's do this,'" Matos continues.
"They’re seniors. They live alone. They don't have any family in the area. They wait for this food. They're so grateful. They're just, you know, very appreciative."
They "even cried," Matos shares, "and said 'Thank you so much. thank you so much for, you know, helping us out.'"
Help alleviate hunger in Western Mass. Support the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts today.
Photo: Food Bank of Western Massachusetts