EASTHAMPTON — Each week, volunteers at the Easthampton Community Center give out about 500 “kid bags,” packages of food that kids can easily cook on their own without using a stove. While donations and matching programs help programs like this at the Community Center continue to run, many pounds of food must be purchased by the organization itself. To keep the Kid’s Bag Pantry Program running smoothly, a musical fundraiser is coming to New City Brewery on Friday. 

The fundraiser, called Rock Out Hunger for Kids, will run from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. with food and drinks provided by New City Brewery, music provided by a local band, The Juncos, and the chance to win raffle prizes donated by local businesses. For Robin Bialecki, executive director of the Community Center, it’s an opportunity to secure community support while fostering a fun atmosphere.

“There’s no fun about having to ask for food. We try to make it at least pleasant,” she said as she helped to pack bags of food on a Monday evening.

In front of the Community Center, volunteers hand out curated bags of food, and families take what they need from crates of fresh produce or the refrigerator inside. Just up the building’s stairs, more volunteers, often including local students who kept coming back even after completing their school-required service hours, work tirelessly each day to pack bags of food in the center’s storeroom. From wall to wall, the room is filled with shelves of food, but that food is quickly depleted over the course of just one day. 

According to Bialecki, the center serves roughly 4,600 families, with an average of 250 families coming in to pick up food each day. Many families have multiple children, some of whom have dietary restrictions that can make food insecurity even more challenging. About seven years ago, the center started focusing on meeting the dietary needs of those with restrictions. Now, Bialecki estimates that almost 200 of the kids she and her fellow volunteers help feed are on gluten-free, allergen-free or Halal diets. 

“For parents, that’s really hard. If you have one kid that’s gluten-free, it’s like $8 for a loaf of bread and it’s, what, six slices?” she said. 

But the Community Center doesn’t leave kids with allergies behind. Each week, enormous packages of food from companies like Schar, which makes certified gluten-free foods, come through the center’s doors. When it comes to securing Halal meats, Bialecki and has a preferred slaughterhouse in Connecticut that she frequents, bringing back coolers of meat that meet Halal standards. 

Kid bags for those with dietary restrictions are packaged separately, and given out alongside the other bags containing everything from juice boxes to microwaveable noodles. Every bag is packed with dietary health in mind, focusing on providing a sustainable amount of fats, nutrients, and carbohydrates to keep up with the nonstop energy of children. 

Just last year, Bialecki estimated that the center provided about 2.5 million pounds of food to the community. Aside from feeding those in need, the center also provides supplies for families with very young children, such as diapers and strollers, delivers food to seniors who have to stay in their homes, and even offers food for dogs and cats.

Over the course of the year, the center also offers gently used clothing items to those in need, as well as winter coats for children in the winter. As the school year approaches, the center’s roughly 200 volunteers are working to fill backpacks for local children so they have everything they need for a successful classroom experience. 

The hard work of the volunteers hasn’t gone unnoticed by Matthew Slavich, member of The Juncos. Though he’d donated to the center’s efforts a few times, he wanted to find a way to make a bigger difference. When he reached out to Bialecki, a musical fundraiser with his band seemed like the natural way to support and promote the center’s mission. 

“They do an incredible thing for the community,” he said. “Robin is kind of an Easthampton legend … every time you mention Robin there’s a story about what she’s done for a family.”

Slavich and his bandmates will be playing their tunes while attendees enjoy refreshments and try their luck at wining raffle prizes. The suggested donations for the event are $10 for adults and $5 for children under 12 years old, and all proceeds will go toward supporting the Community Center’s Kids Pantry. Donations can be made in advance on the Community Center’s website, or at the door. 

Alexa Lewis can be reached at alewis@gazettenet.com.