AIS recently participated in the United Way of North Central Massachusetts’ Combat Hunger “Heroes Against Hunger” Initiative. More than 100 AIS team members packaged 22,500 meals to help feed families in need in the region.

“Many families right here in Leominster and nearby Worcester and other towns in North Central Massachusetts don’t have enough to eat. We want to do whatever we can to help children and families so they don’t go hungry, and so they can focus on becoming self-sufficient,” AIS President & CEO Bruce Platzman said.

AIS has been part of this initiative for the past two years.

In North Central Massachusetts, one in six children – more than 5,000 children – are “food-insecure,” meaning they don’t know where their next meal is coming from. Nationally, a staggering 49 million people, including one in 5 or 6 children, are food-insecure. Thirty-seven percent of young families in the United States live below the poverty line – the highest level on record. (More info at https://www.uwncm.org/united-way-combat-hunger.)

With the United Way’s Combat Hunger “Heroes Against Hunger” Initiative, thousands of families don’t have to worry about their next meal, so they can focus on becoming self-sufficient. Through the United Way’s partnership with Outreach Inc., the United Way is able to package a meal that will feed a family of four for $1.36. The meals taste great and are healthy.

Since launching this initiative, over 600,000 meals have been packaged and distributed in North Central Massachusetts thanks to donors and volunteers.