July 5, 2025 – Amherst Survival Center, ice cream at Herrell’s & grounded chamber conversation

On Friday, June 27, I joined other members of the Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce to pack produce at The Amherst Survival Center for community pickup.

LEFT: Members of the Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce pack fruit and veggies at the Amherst Survival Center.

Turns out, packing vegetables is a really fresh way to get to know people.

We bagged garlic scapes, strawberries, dill, and more.

Week after week, the Survival Center distributes thousands of pounds of food to people across the region. They have an amazingly well-oiled operation.

Seeing all the produce that came in from local farms was also a reminder of how bountiful Western Massachusetts is. We grow a LOT of stuff here.

While we worked, we talked. About business, family, local news. I’m adding packing veggies as a grounded way to connect that business organizations everywhere should explore 😉.

We closed out the afternoon with ice cream at Herrell’s in The Mill District (Artist Dynamix built The Mill District website: You can check it out here. And, if you want to try some great local ice cream, you can go directly to the Herrell’s listing).

– Fungai