Can you get there from here? Online tool tracks how reach to food pantries and stores without a car — or not

NORTHAMPTON — Food and other necessities can be found at the Goshen General Store on Route 9. For low-income individuals in Goshen and surrounding communities, the Hilltown Food Pantry, at the nearby Town Office Building, distributes food every Wednesday.

But with both places not on a fixed route for either Pioneer Valley Transit Authority or Franklin Regional Transit Authority buses, those without cars may be able to get there only by turning to the area’s micro transit options, such as the Hilltown Easy Ride van service, available to those 60 and over and veterans in Chesterfield, Cummington, Goshen, Plainfield and Worthington, or the NuRide ridesharing program overseen by FRTA.

To better understand the transportation challenges in parts of the region and provide more information to people about the options available for getting around, the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts recently unveiled the Ride WMA online mapping tool, developed by the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission.