Food drives for Loaves & Fishes food pantry are a fixture in Harvard, like apple festivals and cultural events at Fivesparks. Schoolchildren and adults of all ages collect food and money to help support the food pantry. Most of us think of ourselves as generous people, who have more than we need and are glad to share it. We don’t think of Harvard as a town where residents need help feeding themselves and their families. We are wrong about that.
In her front page story in this week’s paper, reporter Marty Green set out to examine the fallout from federal cuts to food benefits for needy families. What she found was a growing calamity for everyone who struggles to feed themselves and their families. That includes 40 households in Harvard, according to Loaves & Fishes Executive Director Patricia Stern.
The numbers are staggering. In a single day last week, 152 families turned to Loaves & Fishes for help, up from about 60 to 70 families in more normal times. And the pantry is now providing food to federal workers in the area who aren’t getting paid and don’t know how long that will last.
What can we do? Volunteer at the pantry, buy some extra groceries to donate, send money, of course. And stop telling ourselves this is somebody else’s problem to fix.
