ATHOL, MA, USA (9/21/2018) – A group of 80 volunteers gathered at the Starrett headquarters all donned the same accessories: rubber gloves and a hairnet – in one case, the hairnet covered a beard. They worked toward the same goal, and shared the same enthusiasm.

And then they competed against each other.

On Friday, Sept. 21, The L.S. Starrett Company hosted the United Way of North Central Massachusetts’ 2^nd Annual Greater Athol Combat Hunger event, a meal packaging event that was part of the 23^rd Annual Day of Caring. Five teams representing different local companies bagged nonperishable food items for families in the Athol area that are food insecure. Though Starrett has previously participated in the Day of Caring, this was the first time it hosted the relay.

The teams – playfully – competed to bag and box their type of food the quickest. The Starrett team was comprised of 26 staff volunteers, including CEO Doug Starrett. At the end of an hour and a half, a total of 22,224 meals, or 102 boxes, were packaged. Each type of food bagged was meant to be prepped using only boiling water, for ease of families cooking it.

Food insecurity is when someone is without reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food. According to the United Way of North Central Massachusetts, 1 in 5 or 6 children are food insecure, which translates to about 1,837 children in Fitchburg, 1,545 children in Leominster, 700 children in Gardner, and 541 children in Athol.

The Athol Area YMCA coordinated the distribution of the boxed meals to local food banks such as the Salvation Army, Orange Food Bank and Our Lady Immaculate Church, so that they may reach intended families.

“It was personally rewarding for me to be part of meal packaging process. The energy, comradery and commitment of the volunteers was inspiring,” said Doug Starrett. “My heartfelt thanks to all the volunteers, agencies and the United Way for their efforts in this most worthy event to fight hunger in our area.”