Community Action Pioneer Valley Taking Care of Our Neighbors
Sponsored by Greenfield Savings Bank
(Published in Northampton Living January 2025)
“When I first started working at Community Action Pioneer Valley (CAPV), I was surprised by what poverty looked like,” says Jess Thompson, the nonprofit’s associate director of community engagement. But she would come to recognize it. It looked like a family living paycheck to paycheck. It looked like senior citizens who worked their whole lives but couldn’t afford to eat. It looked like young people who dreamed of starting their own businesses but couldn’t yet swing the basics. Poverty was a relentless shapeshifter. But Thompson found a throughline in every story: “It looked like our neighbors.”
Fed, Warm, Supported and Connected
In 1964 Lyndon Johnson declared a “War on Poverty,” and community action agencies around the country readied for battle, including two in the Bay State’s Franklin and Hampshire counties, which merged in 2006. Like its national counterparts, CAPV strives to identify community needs, in part by inviting low-income individuals to speak from their lived experience. On an 18-member Board of Directors that includes public officials and private businesspeople, six are elected by the community CAPV serves to be their voice in an ever-evolving conversation about economic justice.
Last year the organization helped 28,000 people navigate poverty via nutrition, home energy, education and community building programs. Dane Kuttler, CAPV’s community collaborations coordinator, sums up their mission like this: “We keep people fed, warm, supported and connected.”
Heat Up Funds Offer Emergency Relief
While federal and state guidelines determine if consumers qualify for help for programs like fuel assistance, Kuttler points out that need isn’t always black-and-white, and that many who fall outside of the definition of poverty are struggling to make ends meet. For this reason, CAPV raises a community fund, also known as Heat Up, which can be a lifeline for those hit with unexpected expenses – a spouse out of work, a car breaking down – that could otherwise destabilize a household. According to a recent “Forbes” analysis, the cost of living in Massachusetts is the second highest in the country. For many, financial strain takes an emotional toll.
Accessing help can be a multistep process that takes patience and time, both of which are at a premium in an emergency. In addition to offering fast funds, CAPV presents those in need a road map of resources, then guides them through a multi-destination solution.
“When you’re in crisis, you have to become your own case manager,” says Kuttler. “It’s a full-time job to be poor in this country.”
Wanted: Time, Treasure and Talent
In 2024, Heat Up assisted 142 households, or 288 people. Funds were used to prevent utility shut off, assist with heating bills, and help tenants avoid eviction. It’s extra help that Thompson hopes to offer in greater numbers. Last month, CAPV teamed up with seven local restaurants that donated one night of proceeds to the campaign. Thompson proudly notes that CAPV receives many smaller donations from people who once needed their services and are now able to give back. She welcomes the “time, treasure and talent” of volunteers, donors and those with skills they are willing to share freely in this noble battle.
“We’re not putting ‘Closed for business’ on the front door because we’ve defeated poverty,” says Thompson. “We don’t see that happening. But our community is doing such good work to take care of our neighbors.”
