Food pantries seeing increase in demand as school year nears end [Video]

CHICOPEE, MA (WGGB/WSHM) — Food pantries across western Massachusetts are seeing an increase in demand and many of these demands on local food banks and pantries begin to increase even more during the summer months as kids get out of school.

“We’ve seen an increase in the number of families and individuals coming to us,” said Donna Marratta, president of the board of directors of Lorraine’s Soup Kitchen and Pantry in Chicopee.

Lorraine’s Soup Kitchen and Pantry is working extra hard to meet the demand from those who are food insecure in the community.

“It does increase in the summer because it’s not stretching as far, maybe when kids were getting breakfast and lunch at school. Now, they’re not and a parent that maybe hasn’t come to the pantry before will now need to because their cabinets are bare,” Marratta added.

On average at Lorraine’s, they see about 35 families a day, which equates to approximately 150 people, depending …