Greg and Kathy Spier of Foxborough are once again issuing a $25,000 challenge grant to support the Hockomock Area YMCA’s commitment to address food insecurity in area towns and neighborhoods. The Spiers and the Spier Family Foundation will match every donation made July 25th through August 5th up to $25,000. When the Spier Family Kindness for Kids Challenge is met, it will result in $50,000 to benefit food security initiatives through the Hockomock Area YMCA.
Every Wednesday, since March 2020, the Hockomock Y has provided free family-size grocery bags valued at $50 each at their branches in Foxboro, Franklin and North Attleboro to anyone in need. To date, more than 58,776 grocery bags have been distributed. Additionally, the Y has been working with community partners and school nutrition departments to ensure that children and families have access to healthy meals when school is not in session. This summer, meals are being provided in Milford and North Attleboro. Since March 2020, the Hockomock Y has provided 420,219 meals to those in need.
Individuals and families continue to face financial stresses as a result of the pandemic including basic needs like food. With the ongoing increase in the cost of groceries and gas, we are again seeing an increase in the number of people challenged with food insecurity. “We are grateful to be part of communities full of caring people committed to improving the quality of life in our neighborhoods by working together to address community challenges,” said Jim Downs, CEO of the Hockomock Area YMCA. “I am so proud of the work our Y continues to do in partnership with others to alleviate hunger in our communities through our Food Access initiative. We are only able to do this through the philanthropic support of a caring community.”
“Greg and Kathy Spier have been passionate, steadfast supporters of our Food Access Initiative and their generous challenge will help ensure that we continue to be here for our neighbors,” added Downs.
The Spier family’s impact in our local communities runs deep. Their legacy at the Hockomock YMCA includes the naming of the indoor and outdoor aquatics centers at the Y’s Invensys Foxboro Branch, along with Greg and Kathy’s parents, Sonja and the late Alex Spier.
Through the Spier Family Kindness for Kids Challenge, Kathy Spier expressed her hope that this challenge “will inspire people to make a gift to help people, spread kindness and provide a caring hand to those who need it in our communities.”
“We were so thrilled with the overwhelming response to last year’s Kindness for Kids Challenge,” added Kathy. “Knowing that the need continues in our community, and proud of how our YMCA is responding, we are offering this challenge again to provide an opportunity for people of all ages to come together and make a difference.”
Greg Spier shared, “My dad always talked about wanting to leave the world a better place than he found it. That’s why he and my mom, and Kathy and I, are such passionate supporters of the Hockomock Area YMCA. We continue to see firsthand the impact our Y is having in responding to so many critical emerging needs. Kathy and I are so grateful for how our Y is responding to the ongoing challenges of food insecurity.”
“The Hockomock Area YMCA remains committed to ending hunger in our neighborhoods and we join them in these efforts. Please consider a gift and we will proudly match it, July 25th through August 5th,” says Greg Spier. “Thank you in advance from the bottom of our hearts for making a gift and for your generous support.”
To learn about other ways to support this initiative, please contact Katie Moore at katiem@hockymca.org.
For more information about the Y’s food securities initiatives, visit hockymca.org/food-access.
About Hockomock Area YMCA:
Where Cause Meets Community. At the Hockomock Area YMCA, strengthening community is our cause. The Hockomock Area YMCA is an organization of men, women, and children sharing a commitment to nurture the potential of kids, promote healthy living, and foster a sense of social responsibility.
The Hockomock Area YMCA is committed to partnering and collaborating with others to create and deliver lasting personal and social change in the 15 communities they are privileged to serve. The Hockomock Area YMCA is a not-for-profit charitable cause-driven organization with facilities in North Attleboro, Foxboro, Franklin, and Mansfield. For more information visit hockymca.org.
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| (L-R: Kathy Spier, Greg Spier, the late Alex Spier and Sonja Spier) |
