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The Care Center

Bringing the power of education, arts and culture to youth and their families in Holyoke, MA

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Home » Urgent Student Update from Executive Director, Oona Cook

October 30, 2025

Urgent Student Update from Executive Director, Oona Cook

Dear Friends,

As you’ve probably heard, beginning November 1st, President Trump has refused to fund the SNAP (food stamps) program. This will have a catastrophic impact on 100% of the women and children at The Care Center as well as millions of people across the country. Food insecurity was already a significant problem, but now it’s a crisis.

In the absence of another viable solution, The Care Center has decided to allocate $50,000 to purchase food cards for the month of November.  While this was unanticipated and costly, the collective sigh of relief from our students upon hearing this news was priceless.

Our mission has always been to remove the systemic barriers to academic achievement, and there is none more basic than the need for food. Through it all, our students remain strong, persistent, and resilient, and I take great comfort in knowing that here at The Care Center, they feel safe, seen, and supported.

It is because of donors like you that we are able to act quickly and meet the moment in these truly unprecedented times. With your help this holiday season, our students will not face these challenges alone.

With gratitude for your partnership,

Oona Cook, Executive Director

· Categorized: Featured Item, What's New

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The Care Center gave me hope and a desire for change. They actually cared about me and my child. I quickly earned my GED at 16 years old.

Danielis Gonzales, Bard Microcollege Holyoke student and Care Center graduate

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Copyright © 2026 · THE CARE CENTER · All Rights Reserved
247 Cabot Street, Holyoke, MA 01040 | Phone: (413) 532-2900 | Fax: (413) 532-1250


The Care Center is a recipient of the 2011 National Arts & Humanities Youth Program Award, the nation’s highest honor recognizing community-based arts and humanities youth programs in the United States, presented by the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities. The Care Center is also a recipient of the Mass Cultural Council’s 2019 Commonwealth Award, honoring exceptional achievement in the arts, humanities, and sciences. We are proud to receive funding from the National Endowment for the Arts.
The Care Center is a 501(c)(3) organization. Tax ID 04-2962882

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