ORANGE - A local woman is the only Franklin County resident to have been named to the Class of 2025 Commonwealth Heroines, a distinction bestowed upon women who make outstanding contributions to their organizations and communities.

Pat Larson was one of 125 women from across the state honored at the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women’s Commonwealth Heroines Celebration at the State House on Thursday following a nomination by state Sen. Jo Comerford, D-Northampton.

“I was a bit shocked,” Larson said of the honor. “It was surprising, let’s just say that.”

Larson grew up in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, and moved to Boston in the early 1970s. She eventually earned a masters degree in education and moved with her family to Orange in 1997. After 15 years as a high school teacher, Larson began working with adult students as the director of the The Literacy Project’s site in Orange. After retiring from The Literacy Project, she began volunteering in 2010 with what is now the Quabbin Harvest, a community-owned grocery store that became a Healthy Incentives Program CSA vendor in 2017. By 2018, Larson was coordinating HIP applications and she served on the Quabbin Harvest Board of Directors from 2017 to 2023.

Today, she still works closely with Quabbin Harvest and assists with HIP processing at the Orange Farmers’ Market. Larson is also a founding member and president of Quabbin Food Connector, Inc., a nonprofit that leads and funds food access projects.

“I have long been inspired by Pat’s life and work,” Comerford said in a statement. “She is a beacon in her steadfast advocacy for funding for the Healthy Incentives Program (HIP) and food security in the North Quabbin region. Pat’s decades of service have contributed to the success of countless projects benefitting the wider community. It is a pleasure and a privilege to celebrate her lifetime of service through this nomination.”

MCSW Chairwoman Mary-dith Tuitt delivered opening remarks at the 2025 Commonwealth Heroines Celebration, followed by a special recognition of all honorees. Elected officials are encouraged to submit one woman from their constituency whose efforts and acts of service make a big difference, but don’t necessarily make headlines.

Reach Domenic Poli at: dpoli@recorder.com or 413-930-4120.