Hunger

Berkshire Food Project
Contact: Laura Huang (unix: lh1)

The Berkshire Food Project, started by Williams students in the 1980s, continues to combat local hunger by preparing and offering free lunches on weekdays. Rather than being an impersonal handout program, the Project aspires to be a community forum where people of widely different ages and circumstance can meet one another in an atmosphere of friendliness and mutual respect. Unlike most soup kitchens, clients are seated and served restaurant-style. Once meals have been placed, volunteers sit down to share lunch and conversation with the clients. BFP is located at the First Congressional Church in North Adams. Every Monday through Friday, BFP begins cooking at 9 a.m. and serves lunch at noon. Volunteers are always welcome.

Williamstown Food Pantry
Contact: Candace Gibson (cog1)

Located just at the edge of campus at St.Patrick’s Church, the food pantry is crucial to the Williamstown area, regularly distributing meals to 14-20 families regardless of their religious affiliation. Students are needed on the 1st and 3rd Wednesday of the month, from 1:00-3:00 to help stock shelves and hand out food baskets, especially at at major distribution times (Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter).

W.R.A.P.S. (Williams Recovery of All Perishable Surplus)
Contact: Lauren Shuffleton (unix: les1), Yibai Li (10yl) Listserv: wraps@wso.williams.edu

Four nights a week, a team of volunteers picks up all the unserved food from the dining halls and transports it to two (at the moment) community organizations in Adams and North Adams who have need of it: the Louison House (a temporary home for homeless individuals) and the North Adams Salvation Army. Each run takes about an hour and a half, and each volunteer goes once every two weeks. College van licenses are helpful but not required.

Williams Baking Alliance
Contact: Erik Levinsohn ‘12

Berkshire Serve
Contact: Hilary Dolstad ‘11 (unix: had1)

Berkshire Serve is the local chapter of of a New England-wide food cooperative open to people of all economic levels. Serve provides low-cost groceries for pick-up once a month. The recipients of these groceries, in return, are required to donate 2 hours of volunteering in the community. In this way, Berkshire Serve benefits its members while also strengthening the community by promoting public service. Students can help out at Serve with a variety of activities, from grant-researching to putting together meal packages to helping distribute the groceries. Serve is located at St John’s Church in North Adams.