SPRINGFIELD, MA (WGGB/WSHM) -- Several food banks and pantries across Western Massachusetts received a $100,000 donation from PeoplesBank on Thursday as they prepare for increased demand during the holiday season.

The Martin Luther King Jr. Family Services pantry in Springfield was among 18 groups receiving donations from the bank. The pantry is experiencing a 30 percent increase in shoppers and participants. Pantry manager Lenise Williams said the facility faces specific shortages as Thanksgiving approaches. “The biggest need, right now, that we’re seeing in this shortage is meats. That’s a huge problem,” she explained. “Right now, we’re working on Thanksgiving. The big need right now, unbelievably, is desserts.”

Williams has lived in Springfield all her life and entered her role as

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