Volunteer Newsletter – June/July 2025
I may have been too ambitious in thinking I could pull off a volunteer newsletter each month during the summer. The summer flies by, and is also a busy time all around for volunteers and staff alike.
Of course, the needs of our clients don’t decrease during the summer months, and, as always, we remain committed to ensuring that our clients have access to an abundance of food.
Our Kids Summer Food Program (June, July, August) is vital during the summer months, and to date, we have distributed close to 800 KSFP bags! This is in addition to the increased number of items clients with school-aged children can choose from across all available categories of food in the pantry.
We were fortunate to receive a grant to purchase 2,000 KSFD bags, and the logo was designed by our Development Director’s partner.
Many of you have had a hand in making this program a success – from the van drivers who pick up our orders at the Food Bank to the van unloaders to the stockers to the bag packers to the volunteers distributing the bags to clients here at NSC during drive through and curbside service as well as the volunteers delivering orders to client residences and housing sites- it sure does take a volunteer village!
In addition to the local schools that received information on the Kids Summer Food Program, a postcard was sent to 15K people in Hadley, So. Hadley, Hatfield, Huntington and Southampton alerting them of the supplemental food we provide during the summer.
Alexander, our pantry wizard, was featured on WWLP-40 last month promoting the KSFP program. If you missed it, here’s a link. I’d say he’s got his acting chops up and running!
https://www.wwlp.com/massappeal/kids-summer-food-program/
As I’ve mentioned in previous newsletters, we have many volunteers who give their time and energy with open hearts to lots of other organizations. Kudos to the NSC volunteers who participated in the Bike for Cancer race. $250K was raised.
I’d also like to spotlight our Volunteer John Paradis, who was recently recognized by the State for his work with Veterans at a ceremony with the Governor at the State House.
I love highlighting our volunteers, so please feel free to send me your interests/activities or any tidbits you’d like to share!
If you are not familiar with the organization RSVP, it’s the volunteer connector for people 55 and over in the Pioneer Valley. RSVP does a wonderful job matching potential volunteers to primarily non-profit organizations.
We currently have 19 RSVP volunteers here at the Survival Center, and I always comment on how dependable and hardworking they all are. They also help keep the average of our volunteer turnover rate low!
Lots of volunteer anniversaries:
Karen L 20 years
Barbara Q 9
Molly W 7
George K 5
Mimi K 3
Tom B 3
Pat P 3
Rowena R 2
Amanda C 1
Liese S 1
Sarah S 1
It’s come to my attention that our volunteer database program recognizes volunteer anniversaries from the day an application was submitted and may not accurately reflect when someone began their first volunteer shift. But hey, if the intention was there from the get-go, it works for me!
If there are any visual artists among you or anyone you know, please consider submitting your work to Danielle, our Development Director, for our NSC postcards, which we send as annual Thank Yous to our donors. Some of these fabulous works of art include those by clients and kids!
Here is a link to last year’s postcards https://www.northamptonsurvival.org/2025postchttp://www.wwlp.com/massappeal/kids-summer-food-program?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAYnJpZBExMk9lSzVFVzcwejJUak1TRwEeNho5-Zj8huBt6hdDmGO0tXL4r3-frI82MJ3VO40thtZSDQ87462nvSSt7w0_aem_xk-QzXfSIdN-lI-tZI7ifAards/
- This month’s Pantry Fresh Kit is a summery Pasta with Chickpeas and Tomatoes and includes fresh basil, garlic, and tomatoes.
Pantry Fresh recipe link
https://www.northamptonsurvival.org/pantryfresh/
Remember, you can click on the link above and try any or all of them out yourself!
Better Impact is the volunteer database where the schedule is posted and where volunteers can sign up or remove themselves from a shift. Please familiarize yourself with the site if you haven’t done so already.
Better Impact link
https://app.betterimpact.com/Login/LoginNoSearch?agencyGuid=65faad77-baa1-465f-99d7-fe0303e55ac6
Kiley, our Pantry Coordinator, publishes a monthly information sheet with tips and spotlights for our clients.
Client newsletter link
https://www.northamptonsurvival.org/pantry-digest/
Please follow us on Facebook if so inclined- lots of up-to-date info on all the exciting happenings at NSC! You can usually read it there before I post some of the same info here!
https://www.facebook.com/NtonSurvival/
Stay cool and committed!
Diane