OPCS
Links to recent articles in area newspapers:
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Thanks also to Representatives Tom Petrolati, Sean Curran, John Scibak and Ellen Story for supporting these amendments.
WE STILL NEED YOUR HELP......
We now need the support of State Senators Gale Candaras, Stephen Buoniconti, Stephen Brewer and Michael Knapik so please contact them and let them know an immediate increase in funds is urgently needed to continue to provide essential, life sustaining services to people who are hungry!
PLEASE CALL YOUR STATE SENATOR....
Please ask them to help restore the much needed funds that were cut from Open Pantry.
http://www.mass.gov/legis/memmenus.htm
THANK YOU TO ALL OUR SUPPORTERS!!!!
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Open Pantry Community Services, Inc. is desperately and urgently seeking to prevent deep cuts in services.
Executive Director, Kevin J. Noonan, told members of the Open Pantry Board of Directors at an April 7th meeting "unless the agency receives an immediate influx of funds, serious service cuts must be implemented.
Noonan is appealing to people in Greater Springfield to help stave off these cuts. "People who are hungry, homeless or disadvantaged have come to depend upon the services of Open Pantry over the last 33 years." Noonan said.
"Open Pantry receives funds from the community and from branches of State and Federal government as well as from private foundations. An increase in funds is urgently needed in order to continue providing food and shelter to people in Springfield, especially children," Noonan said.
Springfield was recently ranked as the sixth poorest city in the United States for children living in cities of 85,000 or more.
Noonan also indicated $400,843 in State funding was cut from Open Pantry in this fiscal year. Noonan said he is "asking State Legislators to restore those funds but legislators also need to hear from their constituients about how important Open Pantry's services are to their neighbors who are members this community.
Contact: Kevin J. Noonan, Executive Director
413-781-2999 e-mail: knoonan@openpantry.org
Need more information on how to contribute? click here
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Last Year Open Pantry Provided:
Groceries
For over 27,235 people half of them children
Prepared Meals
102,232
Holiday Meals
Over 2400
Case Management
1,269 people who are homeless
Shelter
42 teen mothers ~ 50 children
29 families ~ nearly 70 children
Sober housing
16 women