Mass. Military Support Foundation tops 1M pounds of food passed to hungry families
Updated Jan 31, 2021;
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As West Springfield Mayor Will Reichelt dropped a box of food into the back of an SUV Saturday morning, the Massachusetts Military Support Foundation had formally distributed its one-millionth pound of food from its Western Mass Farmers to Families Food Drive.
“That’s a lot of food,” Reichelt said just after loading up the car inside the Better Living Center at the Big E. “It really shows the veterans community and how it comes together. During the time of the pandemic when there are food insecurity issues across the region to see these folks come together to get donations and distribute them like this is really awesome.”
WEST SPRINGFIELD On Saturday, Jan. 30 at 10 a.m., the Massachusetts Military Support Foundation (MMSF), which distributed Patriot Farm Food Boxes at Eastern States Exposition’s Better Living Center, will hand out its 1 millionth pound of fresh food in Western Mass. since October, when the MMSF stepped up after the USDA Farmers to Families Food Box program’s funding was cut. The USDA’s program has recently been approved for further funding, and the MMSF was selected as a distribution partner for the USDA’s Farmers to Families program.
Farmers to Families Food Boxes provide well-balanced, pre-packaged, perishable food to combat the massive food-insecurity problem posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The foods come from farms and producers severely affected by restaurant, school, and other closures that interrupted the supply chain. Instead, through federal grants and the efforts of volunteer groups such as the MMSF, the nutritious food is directed to those in need on a local and
Photo by Otto Vondrak.
By Railroad Model Craftsman Staff
The Amherst Railway Society’s Railroad Hobby Show in West Springfield, Mass., one of the largest railroad events in North America that annually attracts more than 20,000 people over two days, is going online this weekend after being forced to cancel its physical event due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The West Springfield show is one of the highlights of the winter for modelers and railfans alike in the Northeast. Show director John Sacerdote said he was “devastated” when they decided late last year to cancel the physical event at the Eastern States Exposition Fairgrounds. However, he also knew he wanted to do something to bring some attention to the vendors, manufacturers, and museums that fill four buildings every January.
With Eastfield Mall site chosen, Big E told it won’t be COVID vaccination hub
Updated Jan 25, 2021;
WEST SPRINGFIELD The Big E expressed disappointment Monday that it wasn’t selected as a location for a mass vaccination site in the war against COVID-19.
Gov. Charlie Baker announced Monday that this region’s site will open Jan. 29 at the Eastfield Mall in Springfield.
The Big E had been talking with the state since late December about hosting a vaccination program and both sites Eastfield Mall and the fairgrounds have served as coronavirus testing sites.
“Buildings were identified and sanitized, and a traffic plan perfected. We put forth our best effort and are disappointed with the decision,” said Eugene J. Cassidy, president and CEO of the Eastern States Exposition in a statement. “We truly believe that Eastern States Exposition is an ideal location, conveniently located with quick access to Interstates 90 and 91. Moreover, it is an address known to millions
Big E President Eugene Cassidy, now head of global fair association, describes industry devastated by COVID
Updated Jan 24, 2021;
Posted Jan 24, 2021
Eugene Cassidy is the president and CEO of the Eastern States Exposition in West Springfield. (Don Treeger / The Republican)
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WEST SPRINGFIELD At a time when The Big E normally gears up for late-winter trade and consumer shows campers, hunting and fishing, and home improvement the biggest event coming to the Eastern States Exposition grounds could be a COVID-19 mass vaccination site.
The sprawling 175-acre fairgrounds on Memorial Avenue a 104-year-old institution with 44 buildings is expensive to operate. Just cleaning up after a snowfall can cost up to $32,000.