The production floor of Food For Free’s Packing and Distribution Center in Somerville was bustling with focused activity from neighbors helping neighbors last week Tuesday morning. There was a Just Eats grocery box-packing shift taking place, but not just any volunteer shift. For the second year in a row, we invited our volunteers to roll up their sleeves and work side by side with their children to fight hunger while schools are closed for February vacation. We were excited to see families fight hunger together, and 20 people signed up for the shift!
In a time of heightened uncertainty, it was heartening to see so many families choosing to spend their time in service to their neighbors. Seeing their coordinated efforts was a great reminder that when people come together with kindness and purpose, communities can thrive. Each carefully packed Just Eats grocery box represented more than just food—it was a message of care and solidarity, ensuring that families across Greater Boston have access to fresh, nutritious food.
Jennifer, our Operations Manager, mentioned that the shift may have been our fastest flowing Just Eats shift of 2025 so far. Parents and children alike were laser-focused, working hard to build stacks of cardboard boxes, move them to the start of the production line, and then pack them with butternut squash, potatoes, rutabagas, plantains, oranges, apples, lemons, green peppers, chayote squashes, avocados, zucchini, romaine hearts, broccoli crowns, packets of dry spaghetti, and packaged cheese slices before finally stacking the filled boxes onto pallets for transportation.
With 1 in 3 individuals in Massachusetts experiencing food insecurity, the Just Eats program plays a vital role in Food For Free’s strategy to combat this widespread problem. Just Eats allows us to distribute a consistent supply of fresh produce, protein, and pantry staples to individuals and families in need through community partners like housing sites and food pantries. Over the past year, we have delivered more than 2.9 million pounds of food (that’s enough to make 2.4 million healthy meals!) through our Just Eats program, which has both a grocery box and a bulk food option.
A few of the families who joined us for this special volunteer shift shared their enthusiasm and reflections on the experience. Yesenia Mondoza, who works at Somerville Public Schools, regularly brings in high school students to support the Just Eats program. She shared her excitement about finally bringing her own son to volunteer:
“When I came here the first time with my students, I was impressed with how much you guys are doing here and how helpful it is to have kids learning to do this work. It is helpful for students to learn skills they can use to find a job later on, and it is another way kids can learn how many people Food For Free is helping in the community beyond the School Markets. Today is the first time I was able to bring my own son, and he loved it.”
Her son, Luis Benavides, left us with his own positive review:
“This is the best place I ever worked. It was fun making boxes and putting the food into the boxes. I would want to come back again to volunteer here.”
Tim Cavaretta, Director of Operations at Food For Free, also took the opportunity to bring his son, Felix, to the shift.
“It’s great that we have this opportunity to have youth participation in our Just Eats program, which usually has volunteer shifts during school hours. Felix was excited to hear there is another shift this afternoon and he might stick around for that, too.”
Felix chimed in, “I had a lot of fun. I think it’s a good workout and I’m happy to be helping, because I don’t get to do this very often.”
Liz Molina and her daughter, Luisa, joined us for a second time after participating in a corporate family volunteer group from Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. in November. Liz reflected on why she returned for another shift with Luisa:
“I really liked when we came here last because I was impressed with how well organized the operation was, how beautiful the food is, and how easy you guys make it to do something helpful in the middle of our busy lives. It was amazing to see how many boxes we could pack in a short amount of time. It makes me happy to think about all the families that will receive these beautiful boxes.”
Luisa agreed, and added that she also had fun.
Opportunities like this demonstrate how impactful it can be to get together with families and neighbors to create lasting change. While one volunteer shift may take only a couple of hours (or less, with this highly efficient group), the impact of these efforts ripples far beyond the walls of our Packing and Distribution Center. These families were able to pack enough Just Eats grocery boxes to ensure that 360 families in our community have the nourishment they need to get through the week. The grocery boxes were delivered to our housing partners at Camfield Estates in Roxbury and Rivermark Apartments in Cambridge, as well as the Somerville YMCA. It is this spirit of community-driven action that makes Food For Free’s work so powerful.
While we are not currently onboarding new volunteers until later this spring, there are still many ways to be part of this movement. Sharing our work with friends and family helps raise awareness about food insecurity and the solutions we offer, and joining our Community HeartBeets monthly donor club provides ongoing, reliable support that ensures we can continue meeting the needs of our community year-round.
If you believe in a future where everyone has a place at the table, take action today. Share our mission, become a monthly donor, and help us grow healthy communities—together.