Lorraine's Soup Kitchen holds COVID vaccination clinic for residents

CHICOPEE, Mass. (WWLP) – It’s been three years since the pandemic struck and changed life as we knew it. Our world has returned to a sense of normalcy, but unfortunately the virus is here to stay.

That’s a big reason why health experts continue to remind people of the importance of vaccination, especially for the immunocompromised.

At Lorraine’s Soup Kitchen & Pantry in Chicopee, a free vaccine-clinic was held on Saturday, as part of a state-wide effort to get people vaccinated.

Jenneke Reynolds of the Mass. Public Health Excellence Grant Program told 22News, “There’s been lots of free vaccine clinics throughout the state, what’s changing is an incentive program that’s been going on. It started in October, and it was extended because it was so successful, but it’s ending March 31st.”

That incentive was $75 gift cards to places like Walmart and Stop & Shop. The effort is meant to encourage people to keep updated on vaccinations, something many vaccine recipients at Lorraine’s feel remains important as the pandemic persists.

“Yeah, I think you have to be on your guard, it’s typical human nature when something is not right up at the forefront like it used to be, it’s easy to say well we can just go back to normal. But this is going to be with us, this virus is not going to go away,” expressed Chicopee resident Rick Gleason.

But, as COVID remains, so do the precautions taken to keep communities healthy.