SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WGGB/WSHM) -- Our “Feed the Valley” food drive has officially come to an end after 12 days of generosity from you, our viewers.

On Monday morning, volunteers from United Way Pioneer Valley, the organization providing food pantry services as part of the Food Bank of Western MA, helped us load up all the donations. Now, thousands of non-perishable foods are heading to those in need locally.

The Director of Program Operations at United Way Pioneer Valley Lee Drewitz tells us, “So for the past 5 years, we’ve operated food pantries in downtown Springfield and downtown Holyoke like the Springfield service center in which I’m standing right now. We serve anywhere from 5 to 600 families every week meeting their food security needs.”

Those food security needs are exactly how your generous donations are helping.

As the need to feed grows in our area, so too does the amount of food needed to keep the shelves stocked at our local pantries. Drewitz explains that this is especially true right now, “So right this week, it’s right before February vacation, so this is a huge need for families who aren’t going to have access to other resources throughout the week.”

According to Drewitz, these gaps total about 15,000 pounds of food given each and every week, distributed to those local families.

Even though our “Feed the Valley” food drive is now over, the call for donations never ends.

Whether it be monetary, shelf-stable food items, or volunteering your time, every bit helps, and every bit is appreciated.

Drewitz sends his thanks, telling us, “Thank you to Western Mass News, thank you WMAS, and thank you to everyone who supported this years ‘Feed the Valley’. It makes a huge difference and we hope they continue to partner with everybody.”

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