News  Brockton District Court hosts canned food drive and winter hat and glove drive to help those struggling during the pandemic

The court is one of more than 70 courts and 18 community corrections centers across the Commonwealth that are participating in a massive statewide food and supply drive. 

Boxes for donations are set up in the Brockton court's first-floor lobby and both canned goods and hats and gloves in all sizes may be dropped off during court hours: Monday-Friday, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. The items will be donated to local homeless shelters in the Brockton area. 

"Everybody is struggling during this time and we wanted to do something for the community," said Brockton District Court Probation Officer Keison Harry, who is one of the organizers of the drive. 

The drive was launched as part of the court's 4th Annual Cultural Appreciation Week. In the spirit of this year's theme "We Rise by Lifting Others, Justice and Culture: Bridging the Gap," organizers--including court and Probation staff--decided to host food and supply drives to help those struggling with food insecurity. The pandemic has increased the level of food insecurity, according to Feeding America which found that one in seven people may not have access to three healthy meals a day. One in five children in Massachusetts now live in food-insecure households, an 81 percent increase over pre-COVID food insecurity levels.