AMHERST — Since 1983, the Not Bread Alone program at the First Congregational Church has been part of an effort in Amherst to ensure that at least one free community meal is served every day of the week.
And although the program of the Springfield-based Center for Human Development is facing an $8,000 deficit in its $57,000 budget and prompting concerns from some in the community that its weekly Wednesday evening meal may be cut, no such change is being contemplated.
“Right now it’s important that there is a free meal somewhere every day of the week in Amherst,” said Laura Reichsman, director of both Not Bread Alone and Family Outreach of Amherst. “The Wednesday meal is in no danger of going away.”
Not Bread Alone, with two part-time staff members and 3,500 volunteers a year, offers both Wednesday evening and Saturday and Sunday noontime meals at the 165 Main St. church, as well as holiday meals on Thanksgiving and Christmas. The regular meals typically draw between 60 and 100 people.
“Not Bread Alone has a robust network of volunteers, and deeply appreciates the Amherst community’s time and financial support,” Reichsman said. “Not Bread Alone has been part of the fabric of Amherst since the 1980s and has operated responsibly (and) frugally.”
The Amherst Survival Center at 138 Sunderland Road is open for midday meals each weekday, except Wednesdays. In addition, Not Bread Alone supplements the Amherst Survival Center and First Baptist Church, 434 North Pleasant St., as places that act as food pantries for the community, where individuals and families can get bags of groceries.
Still, even though all meals will continue to be served, the deficit does indicate that the funding sources that have supported the program, since CHD took over the program in 1988, are changing and eroding. Only $19,000 is funded directly by CHD. The town of Amherst no longer has a line item for the program, and annual money from the Federal Emergency Management Agency has been diverted to larger charities over the years, Reichsman said.
The program is also supplemented by money raised from the annual Shelter Sunday event.
Craig’s Doors: A Home Association. Inc., which operates the seasonal Craig’s Place shelter from the First Baptist Church, offers dinner and breakfast at the shelter from Nov. 1 through April 30, as well as a year-round community breakfast at the Unitarian Universalist Society at 121 North Pleasant St.
Even with those additional ways to get food, losing any of Not Bread Alone’s meals would be difficult, said Jade Lovett, executive director of Craig’s Doors.
“Not Bread Alone is a significant part of the rotation of free meals within Amherst on any given week,” Lovett said. “It is imperative that programs like these are supported, as they significantly reduce food insecurity in town and serve as engagement points for many other providers.”
Adrienne Terrizzi, a spokeswoman for the League of Women Voters of Amherst, said her organization advocates for any programs that reduce poverty and meet basic needs, including access to food and housing.
“We would speak out strongly against any budget cuts that threaten the kind of programs that support our most vulnerable,” Terrizzi said.
Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.
