Hunger Spikes Locally:
Ways to Donate to Cambridge Food Pantries in this Holiday Season
“We’ve never seen anything like this kind of need,” say food pantries struggling to keep up with the devastating crisis of hunger and food insecurity with so many unemployed, sick, or otherwise in need as a result of the pandemic. A million people in Massachusetts do not have enough food, and one in eight is expected to experience food insecurity, worsening during the coming winter months. Our state has the highest percentage increase of residents facing hunger in the entire country, percentages which have continued to skyrocket. The child food-insecurity rate has also worsened, with one in five children in Massachusetts now living in food-insecure households, a 102 percent increase over pre-pandemic levelsDuring this holiday season we can help in our own communities. Here are some local places and information on how to donate.
East End House, 105 Spring Street (near corner of Fifth and Spring Streets), Cambridge 02141
Their Food Pantry provides individuals and families in need in the community with fresh fruits and vegetables, canned and dry goods, meats, and dairy products. Donations from Food for Free, the Greater Boston Food Bank, and numerous corporations and individuals make this possible. Community members are welcome to come to the pantry two times per month. Donations of non-perishable food that hasn’t reached its “sell-by” date are accepted. including canned goods like fruit, vegetables, soup, beans, and stews as well as dry goods like pasta and rice. For more information, please call or email Barbara MacDonald at 617-876-4444 or barbara@eastendhouse.org Monetary donations are welcomed, and here are some examples of specific ways a donation can help: $15 will pay for healthy and nutritious meals for two children in East End House’s childcare program for a day, including breakfast, lunch, and snack; $25 will pay for healthy and nutritious meals for a child in East End House’s childcare program for one week; $35 will pay for a holiday meal for a family of five or more; $50 will provide a special lunch for 25 senior citizens; $100 will pay for healthy and nutritious meals for a child in East End House’s childcare program for one month; $300 will help Adopt-One-Family for the holidays with basic necessities like clothes, hats, mittens, books for the children, gift cards, sheet sets, and towels. To donate and/or volunteer: https://eastendhouse.org/get-involved/
Margaret Fuller Neighborhood House, 71 Cherry Street, Cambridge 02139
The Margaret Fuller Neighborhood House food services program provides emergency food to over 16,000 individuals and families each year, with the majority of the food insecure residents coming from The Port community.
Our emergency food pantry provides low- to moderate-income individuals a two-week supply of food twice a month. The pantry is staffed by more than 25 volunteers a week in addition to staff and puts out about 40,000 pounds of food a month to the community. We partner with the Greater Boston Food Bank, Food For Free, and Lovin’ Spoonfuls to acquire the abundance of food needed to meet our demands each week. To donate
Friday Café, 11 Garden Street, Cambridge 02138
https://www.firstchurchcambridge.org/friday-cafe/
The Friday Café, a weekly daytime drop-in program for and by the Cambridge community, offers a welcoming space where homeless and sheltered adults can gather and get to know each other. Serving an average of 150 guests a week (or as many as 300 on winter Fridays), the Café offers food and coffee, rest and resources, and most importantly, community, to people living on the margins. During the Covid-19 pandemic the Friday Café has shifted to an outdoor format, serving bagged meals to go and distributing clothing and other essentials on the church lawn. We look forward to returning indoors as soon as it is safe to do so. Financial contributions, volunteering, and in-kind donations:https://www.firstchurchcambridge.org/support-our-homeless-ministries/
Food For Free, 11 Inman Street, Cambridge 02139
Food For Free, the Cambridge-based, non-profit organization dedicated to providing every member of the Greater Boston community with reliable access to fresh and nutritious food, rescues nearly two million pounds of food each year from supermarkets, universities, corporate dining halls, wholesalers, farms, and other sources and works to fill the gaps in the emergency food system that the pandemic has created. Food For Free’s Home Delivery program brings food to low-income Cambridge residents who are unable to access traditional food pantries due to illness or disability. Food For Free’s Weekend Backpack Programs provide Cambridge and Somerville K-8 public school students with food for the weekends when school meal programs are unavailable. In the last year, Food For Free distributed 2.7 million pounds of nutritious food to more than 30,000 people throughout Greater Boston. Donate online: https://foodforfree.org/donate/
Cambridge Community Center, 5 Callender Street, Cambridge 02129
http://www.cambridgecc.org/food--supply-pantry.html
Early in the pandemic CCC launched its Food & Supply Pantry, and with the help of partners Food For Free and Lovin’ Spoonfuls, combined its resources to start a pop-up pantry operating out of the gymnasium. In just the first six days of operating the pantry, we distributed a total of 3,094 bags of food and supplies to 799 households, and we continue to serve anywhere from 700 to 1,000 households each and every week.
Greater Boston Food Bank https://www.gbfb.org/
The Greater Boston Food Bank is the largest hunger-relief organization in New England and among the largest food banks in the country. GBFB strives to provide at least one meal a day to those in need in Eastern Massachusetts, last year distributing 98.8 million pounds of nutritious food, the equivalent of nearly 81 million meals, to people in need. GBFB works with 500 partner agencies and 70 direct distribution programs such as food pantries, soup kitchens and meal programs, senior centers, and more. A $25 donation will help provide a complete holiday meal for a family in need. Will you help us make it a hunger-free holiday season?
To donate online:
To donate by check: https://www.gbfb.org/ways-to-give/write-check/
To volunteer: https://www.gbfb.org/get-involved/volunteer/covid19-volunteer-faqs/
To advocate: https://www.gbfb.org/get-involved/advocate/
Thoughts and suggestions are welcome!
--Fran Putnoi and Jessie von Hippel