Last week, we began our first weekly delivery of 1,600 pantry boxes for distribution in Somerville. The boxes contain potatoes, apples, carrots, rice, and dried beans and we supplement them with more fresh produce. The boxes are going to Prospect Hill Academy, East Somerville Community School, and Somerville City Pantry to be distributed to families in need. We will continue these weekly deliveries through June.

What exactly is a “pantry box”? With numerous local restaurant closures, suppliers to the restaurant industry are experiencing an abundance of oversupply. Many of these suppliers and restaurants themselves are repacking food into boxes of family-size quantities to distribute as groceries. The Greater Boston Food Bank was able to procure these boxes as part of the USDA’s Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) and then offer them to their partner organizations such as Food For Free.

Pantry boxes are an interesting example of the COVID crisis’ impact upon the demand and supply in our food system and how food banks like the GBFB are innovating to help address it. It’s unclear at this point  if the USDA will continue to offer support for this program after June. Regardless, Food For Free and  our anti-hunger partners like the GBFB will continue to creatively tackle the growing need for healthy food in our community.

Thank you to The Greater Boston Food Bank and Performance Food Service for helping to make this happen!