AGENCY SPOTLIGHT:

 

Ginny White launched Ginny’s Helping Hand(s) in Leominster, MA to provide clothes, shoes, and other necessities to people in need. Ginny liked to say that the organization was for people who wanted “a hand up, not a handout.”

In 1980, Ginny White began the Food Pantry at Ginny’s serving nine to eleven families daily. As the need grew, Ginny expanded the pantry to provide meals and groceries to people of all ages and backgrounds from across North Central Massachusetts, who were having trouble making ends meet. Additionally, during the holiday season, Ginny’s provided Holiday Food Baskets every November and December, along with Christmas gifts for children in need, this work continues to this day!

Ginny White retired in September 2013. New Executive Director Sue Chalifoux Zephir continued the Food Pantry and Thrift Store at Ginny’s that Ginny White had begun 35 years earlier. Sue expanded its work with partners and other community organizations to provide funds for temporary shelter, fuel assistance, and free furniture, housewares, clothing, and toiletries to survivors of fires, floods, domestic violence, and other crises.

Sue Chalifoux Zephir stepped away from her role as Executive Director April 2022 and Brandon L. Robbins stepped into the role of Executive Director. He had previously been the Manager at Ginny’s from 2017 to 2020 and had fostered additional partnerships beneficial to Ginny’s through his work as Legislative Aide in State Representative Michael P. Kushmerek’s office.

Each month, Ginny’s Helping Hand supports thousands of people in North Central Massachusetts by providing fresh, frozen, and shelf-stable groceries that come from scores of partners and supporters. Prior to the pandemic, Ginny’s was serving approximately 1,000 individuals each month. Currently, the Food Pantry at Ginny’s Helping Hand provides groceries to more than 2,000 people every month, clearly showing the enhanced need for access to healthy food across North Central Massachusetts.

The United Way is proud to support Ginny’s Helping Hand for all the great services they provide to people in our community.

To get involved or to learn more about Ginny’s Helping Hand, visit Ginny's Helping Hand.