Kiwanis Assists in Donating 14,000 Meals to Those in Need

During a meeting last spring the three Kiwanis Clubs of Berkshire County were stunned to learn that food insecurity impacts one out of seven people, and even worse, one of five children in Berkshire County. Shocked by this statistic the three clubs began planning to help address this invisible need in our communities.

Recently the Kiwanis Clubs of Lee, Pittsfield and Sheffield collaborated with The Outreach Program to provide over 14,000 meals to food pantries and other organizations in their service areas. Kiwanis members, family and friends volunteered to weigh, measure, label and package bulk dry ingredients for pasta with tomato sauce and minestrone soup into packs of 4-6 meals each, enough for a family dinner. Through this program each Kiwanis Club was able to provide nearly 4,000 meals to local families in need.

The clubs learned that all ingredients were grown in middle America – wheat for the pasta, soy for the protein flakes, tomatoes for the sauce and beans for the soup.

This is just one of the many Community Service Projects that Sheffield Kiwanis has provided in recent months. Does Kiwanis sound like an organization you’d like to be part of? New members are always welcome. The club invites you to learn what Kiwanis is about and the good they do in our communities. The club welcomes ideas for new community service projects or fundraisers.

If you’d like to help Sheffield Kiwanis help the children and families of our community, consider joining the team. While COVID-19 has prevented Kiwanis from meeting in person it hasn’t stopped their work. Though the club misses the social connection of getting together over a meal, they continue to meet by video conferencing from their homes every Tuesday. Kids need Kiwanis, Kiwanis needs you!

Contact any of their members or email Kiwanis at info@sheffieldkiwanis.org to learn more. Follow and “like” Sheffield Kiwanis on Facebook.

(information and picture sent to WSBS in a press release from Pat Salvi of Sheffield Kiwanis for online and on air use)