Congressman Joe Kennedy III listens as Bo Sullivan and Bill Parks discuss some of the activities held in the teen center at the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Westfield Tuesday. (MARC ST. ONGE PHOTO)
WESTFIELD – United States Congressman Joe Kennedy III toured the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Westfield Tuesday, offering his support to the Westfield community.
“To be able to be here in person to be able to talk to folks that are trying to navigate their way through this crisis is extremely valuable,” Kennedy said, moments before meeting with Boys & Girls Club of Greater Westfield CEO Bill Parks and Chief Advancement Officer Bo Sullivan.
“I think one of the challenges obviously that we’ve seen through the course of this moment is given just the uncertainty, given the evolution of this crisis a lot of attention has been on what is happening in Boston, but there’s a lot of parts of the state that are wrestling with the impact of the virus, and that have different challenges, different resources, and different abilities to respond to it,” he said.
The Boys & Girls Club of Greater Westfield has met the needs of the Whip City head on, providing as many as 450 “grab and go” meals per day since the pandemic struck. With the coronavirus shutting down schools and sending the economy into freefall, non-profit organizations like the local boys and girls club have stepped up to help those in need.
“The fact that you’ve got the basic structures by which people were able to fill the gaps has been completely disrupted and destroyed by the virus,” the Congressman said. “To be able to have organizations and institutions like the Boys and Girls Club step up and be able to provide some semblance of access to basic necessities is hugely helpful to the community.”
In addition to handing out cold “Grab & Go” dinners on weekdays, the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Westfield is giving out hot meals 2-3 nights a week as breakfast and lunch on the weekends. Free meals are offered Monday-Friday from 4:30-6:30 p.m. Weekend meals are handed out on Friday evenings.
Funding for the meal program is provided by a grant from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. The club’s current meal program is expected to end June 29, but the summer meal program is expected to continue the service through July and August.
In addition to offering up free meals, the boys and girls club is also handing out backpacks filled with arts and crafts, sporting goods, and various other knicknacks. The recipients of the bags, valued at approximately $65, were chosen via lottery.
The Boys & Girls Club of Greater Westfield recently raised $25,540 as part of its Giving Tuesday fundraiser. The Westfield/West Springfield Elks Club, Bill and Jan Parks, Rob Levesque of R. Levesque Associates, Inc., Mark Morin of Morin & O’Shea PC, and Kevin Sullivan Fund contributed to the $10,000 match.
“I want to thank the community for their support,” Parks said.
