The first meeting of the Greater Fall River Hunger Network and Greater Boston Food Bank (GBFB) took place at the new HealthFirst Family Care Center on August 2, 2012. The meeting provided representatives of the GBFB to describe their work in providing food throughout Eastern Massachusetts food banks including a number in Greater Fall River and other projects to distribute food in the City. Project Bread and the United Way help to raise funds to pay for food for the region. Following their presentation, participants were invited to discuss ways that they might work better together to provide food to the estimated 15,000 Fall River residents who are food insecure. The Food Bank provides over 741,000 meals to people in the Greater Fall River Area, approximately 80% of what is needed to ensure that everyone has at least one meal per day. "There was a strong sense that we could do a better job of providing food throughout our area if we were to meet together," noted Lisa Alves of the WIC Program at HealthFirst who organized the meeting. The group plans to begin meeting on a monthly basis starting later in the month. Click here for a ten-minute video of the meeting. For more information, contact Lisa Alves at 508-679-9349. 

(Top row, left) People Incorporated food bank organizer Marilyn Grubb signs in as University of Massachusetts Extension Nutrition Education Program project leader Pat Bebo enters. (Top row, center) Greater Boston Food Bank staff members Gary Krist, Jonathan Tetrault and Joyce MacDonald chat before giving their presentation. (Row two) The group describes how the Food Bank works to provide food to low-income individuals and helps to organize local Hunger Networks that can address problems with food delivery and quality. (Row three, right) WIC Program staff member Lisa Alves, right, opens a discussion of how a Hunger Network could be formed in Fall River. (Bottom row, left) Fall River Food Bank coordinator Dave Perry endorses the idea of a network. (Bottom row, center) Gloria Desrosier of the Fall River Community Soup Kitchen describes some concerns as Carol Cordeiro of the Family Pantry listens. (Bottom row, right) Denise Fortin, Linda Hennessey, Marcia Picard and Brenda Viveiros listen as Wendy Garf-Lipp of United Neighbors offers some resources to the group.