July 24, 2026

Catholic Charities mobile food pantry delivers hope in Holyoke

REGIONAL
By Isabella Clarkson Perez

“Going Where the Need Is” mobile food pantry visited St. John Paul II parish center at Mater Dolorosa School in Holyoke, July 22. (IObserve photo/Carolee McGrath)

HOLYOKE – The Catholic Charities “Going Where the Need Is” mobile food pantry pulled into the St. John Paul II social center at Mater Dolorosa School in Holyoke, Wednesday, July 22 from 3-5 p.m. There members of the community were able to pick up produce, non-perishable food, and hygiene products.

Last September, Catholic Charities launched the mobile food pantry in the Diocese of Springfield and served the community through December. The initiative was restarted in April.  Every two weeks, the mobile food pantry visits underserved communities within the diocese to make produce, non-perishables, and various hygiene products available to members of these communities.  In the last four months alone, the mobile food pantry has served between 300 and 400 people.    

“In our new expanded mission at Catholic Charities, we are seeking to support people find stability in housing, food insecurity, and mental health,” said Catholic Charities executive director Shaina Rodriguez.  “We have set up community partnerships across all four of our counties.”

Catholic Charities partners with Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Parish, Springfield; Our Lady of the Cross Parish, Holyoke; Amherst Community Connections; Valley Opportunity Council and Becket Federated Church. The mobile food pantry is supported by Blessed Trinity Parish in Greenfield, the Food Bank of Western Mass, Catholic Charities USA and Hope and Comfort.

“We see a lot of people coming in because there is a huge need,” said volunteer Sellou Coly.  She said that responses to the mobile food pantry are always positive.  

“[People] love it, and they always ask us if we can go back,” she said.  

In addition to the bi-monthly scheduled stops throughout the diocese, the mobile food pantry does pop-ups in various locations when the need becomes urgent.  This year, Catholic Charities will also be taking over the food pantry at Blessed Trinity Parish in Greenfield, which was established by Deacon John Leary and parishioners 23 years ago.  Catholic Charities will help organize the food pantry’s operations and ensure that it reaches those who need it most.

“Now the need is almost every other day,” said Irina Leybovsky, said Catholic Charities operations coordinator.  “We always get emails from agencies that they need food pantries in the area.”

On the food pantry’s impact within the community, Leyboysky said that “[People are] very happy, I think, and looking forward to us, and they come here with smiling faces.” 

Some, she said, stop by just to talk.  

“I leave every day from my work, and I feel good about it,” she said.

For more information about the mobile food pantry, go to diospringfield.org and click on Catholic Charities.