ACC gets grant for food pantry

The Ashburnham Community Church received $500 from the Project Bread, the state's leading anti-hunger organization.

Project Bread distributed $149,800 to 40 emergency food programs in the Central Massachusetts region, a $4,375 increase since 2006, at its annual Appreciation and Grant Award Ceremony on Oct. 23, according to a press release from ProjectBread.

The Community Church on Main Street uses the food pantry to help local residents in their times of need. They collect food throughout the year.

The 39th annual Walk for Hunger had a record number of 43,000 walkers this year and raised a record $3.4 million. Its culminating Appreciation and Grant Award Ceremony was a chance to thank those who contribute every year to the Walk, and to distribute their donations to those who work on the frontline, alleviating and helping to end hunger in the Bay State.

"We wouldn't be what we are without those who work on the frontline at the Central Massachusetts emergency food programs receiving the Project Bread grants," said Ellen Parker, executive director of Project Bread, in the press release.

Ashburnham Community Church is one of several programs that was among 400 emergency food programs in 126 communities across the state to receive funds that evening. Included were food pantries, meal programs, food banks, and food salvage programs and are supported by funding from Project Bread's Walk for Hunger.

Project Bread-funded agencies reported serving 42.1 million meals in 2006. This number is the highest number of meals reported since Project Bread starting counting. The demand shows no sign of declining, especially with the increase in gas prices and the high cost of housing. Project Bread's Status Report on Hunger in Massachusetts, to be released in November, describes the causes and prevalence of hunger in Massachusetts, which includes the high cost of living in a state where wages for low-income families have stagnated.