News  The Massachusetts Trial Court Cares Food Drive is wrapping up after another successful collection

The Fifth Annual Massachusetts Trial Court Cares Food Drive is winding down as organizers finalize this state-wide drive.

More than 100 Massachusetts Trial Court employees—referred to as Cultural Proficiency Champions or Champions—organize the drive which each year results in the collection of more than 5 tons of food being donated to charitable organizations across the state.

Champions participate in diversity and inclusion training and assist court users in navigating the court system. They also plan and execute the annual Massachusetts Trial Court Cultural Appreciation Week (CAW) in October, the longest running and largest celebration of community, diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in any U.S. court system. The food drive kicks off after CAW and runs through the end of December.

"We feel it is important to support the communities we serve across our Commonwealth. Our courthouses are community courts where compassion and empathy goes hand-in-hand with access to justice. In these challenging and difficult times, it is important that we help our neighbors who are experiencing hardships," said Pamerson O. Ifill, Probation Commissioner.

The Trial Court's annual food drive was launched during the Pandemic when a Champion introduced the idea of helping those experiencing "food insecurity." The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) defines food insecurity as "a lack of available financial resources for food at the household level." Nearly 40 percent—more than 1.6 million-- of adults in Massachusetts do not know where their next meal is coming from. One in six children in the state lives in food insecure homes, according to Feeding America.