Although Belmont Helps started as a grassroots effort to assist neighbors in need during the COVID-19 pandemic, the nonprofit, which marks its fifth anniversary this year, has evolved and expanded, providing a vital lifeline in town.
Friends Amy Kirsch and Shana Wang, who co-founded and co-chair Belmont Helps, created the organization after seeing fellow residents struggling with food insecurity. Even as the pandemic waned, food insecurity remained.
“When you look at a town like Belmont, it is a very affluent town. … at the same time you wouldn’t think there are that many people that need that much assistance,” Kirsch said.
“The pandemic really brought to light some of the challenges people face meeting their basic needs,” said volunteer Abby Klingbeil. “There is still a lot of need in the community, and the need for an organization like Belmont Helps and its vast network of volunteers who support it is still there and still strong.”
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Kirsch said in its five years, about 350 volunteers have worked with the nonprofit to meet food and other needs for town residents.
“Our mission is to provide compassionate help to neighbors in need so that all Belmont residents feel supported during struggles that arise in their lives,” according to the Belmont Helps website. “We believe that supporting vulnerable community members helps to create a healthier, stronger and more caring community.”
Nonprofit’s evolution
During COVID, Kirsch, Wang, and fellow volunteers began collecting money they used to purchase food for those in need. The group also distributed masks.
Social workers, police officers, the Council on Aging, guidance counselors, and others who work on the front lines with vulnerable populations connected the group to Belmont residents in need who were then — and are still — provided with grocery store gift cards.
“All our money goes to help people with food needs,” Kirsch said.
According to its website, Belmont Helps also collects household goods and furniture to donate to families in need, provides support for refugee families, and helps clients find additional assistance for child care, food, housing, and utility support.
Volunteerism
Not only did the organization reveal the sometimes-hidden reality of those without enough to eat, but Belmont Helps also showed how much residents wanted to help their neighbors.
“People are really excited about volunteering in the community,” said Kirsch. “It’s something that we feel privileged to take part of and very honored.”
When asked why she decided to join five years ago, volunteer Klingbeil said, “I saw it as a way that I could help the community in those early days of COVID.”
As she worked with Belmont Helps, Klingbeil learned more about “the compassion of the community,” she said. When there have been callouts for volunteers, “we often get an outpouring of support, including those who have been clients.”
The organization is made up of a “really kind and caring group of people. Being a volunteer … is a way to give back to the community and be involved and heightens your awareness of how compassionate our community is,” said Klingbeil.
“I would encourage people who need help, especially if they need help with food, not to hesitate to reach out,” she said. “Many people find themselves going through a hard time in their lives and they don’t need to go through it alone.”
“It means the world to us that we have a little part of making our town a better place,” said Kirsch. She added Belmont Helps will continue its mission since there are still needs to be met.
“As long as people are still willing, I think that we’re going to go forward,” said Kirsch. “We’re all there because we care.”
More Information
For more information on Belmont Helps, visit belmonthelps.org/. To donate, checks can be made out to Belmont Food Collaborative with Belmont Helps in the memo line and mailed to: 8 Jason Road, Belmont, MA 02478, or donate on the organization’s GoFundMe page: gofundme.com/f/belmonthelpsbfc
