Providence Ministries for the Needy

CONTACT:

P.O. Box 6269
Holyoke, MA 01041
413-536-9109
website

Karen M. Blanchard, Executive Director

DESCRIPTION:

Holyoke is one of the most impoverished cities in Massachusetts; Providence provides. It began in 1980 with “Kate’s Kitchen”, the city’s first community kitchen, which now serves 85-120 meals daily. Five programs have been added since then: in 1981,“Broderick House”—the first shelter for homeless women and their children in western Massachusetts; “Loreto House” (1987), which offers transitional housing for homeless men; “Margaret’s Pantry” (1990), which provides three-day supplies of food to 20-35 individuals every week; and St. Jude’s Clothing Center (1998), which last year provided household furnishings and clothing to 3,000 people. Providence also runs a Used Furniture & Furnishings Store, and from 1984-89, it helped destitute families bury their dead. PMN’s greatest challenge came in 1999 when a fire destroyed Kate’s Kitchen and Loreto House—what seemed at the time a fatal blow to the agency. Instead, private philanthropy stepped in to provide for the Providers in their hour of need; PMN was relocated to a better (for its purposes) site, and Providence raised the funds to rebuild. Here is an agency that feeds 37,000 individuals a year, on a food budget of $15,000 plus in-kind donations. Every dollar is cherished; this is an opportunity for you to be a Provider.

(2004: HUMAN SERVICES: Well-Being)