Free grocery boxes distributed to school children and their families in Marblehead, Nahant, Lynn, Salem, Peabody and Beverly
Cambridge, MA (April 5, 2021) – 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, announced today they are expanding the reach of their Just Eats grocery box program and distributing to Marblehead Community Charter Public School to help low-income families in the communities of Marblehead, Nahant, Lynn, Salem, Peabody and Beverly.
The Just Eats Grocery box program, which launched in December of last year, fills in the gap left by a distribution problem with the USDA’s Farmers to Families food box program which now has very limited availability in Massachusetts. The boxes are designed to be grab-and-go, the preferred method of distribution during the pandemic to keep workers, volunteers, and pantry participants as safe as possible. The program will initially deliver 40 boxes weekly to Marblehead, Nahant, Lynn, Salem, Peabody and Beverly through the Marblehead Community Charter Public School. Each box will include twenty five pounds of produce and pantry staples such as rice, beans or lentils, potatoes, onions, carrots, apples, oranges, kale, and other produce options.
Food For Free tapped into the innovation that has helped the non-profit steadily fill the gaps in the emergency food system since the start of the pandemic to tackle the growing need for food. “The pandemic is stretching the emergency food system to a breaking point. One in five children in Eastern, Massachusetts are now facing food insecurity,” said Sasha Purpura, Food For Free’s Executive Director. “Children are especially vulnerable to food insecurity. Childhood hunger is linked to negative health outcomes and disparities that can persist into adulthood. Our Just Eats Grocery Boxes are filled with fresh produce and wholesome pantry staples like rice and beans. Not only are these the foods that our community partners request but they also are more culturally appropriate to a wider group of people. We’re thrilled to expand the program and support the Marblehead Community Charter Public School’s students and their families.”
“This is wonderful what Food For Free has done. Stepping up and helping these communities with the Just Eats program when the current distributors that were awarded the USDA bids would not,” said Danette Russo, Director of Food Services for Marblehead Community Charter Public School.
“It’s very important for our students to have access to healthy foods so they can thrive in class and beyond. We are pleased to partner with Food For Free to help support our students and their families especially during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Peter Cohen, Ed.D Head of School.
Food For Free’s Just Eats Grocery Box program was created to be more in sync with what food pantries know their communities want and need. Fresh produce is highly sought after and often difficult to obtain through the emergency food system. Food For Free is now delivering over 3,000 boxes weekly to food pantries and other community organizations throughout metro Boston and beyond.
Food For Free has worked to bridge the gaps in the emergency food system for forty years. Since the onset of the pandemic, the non-profit has responded swiftly when food pantries and schools closed by creating a free grocery delivery service for those in need, working with local public schools to provide meals and groceries, and helping local housing developments create their own free food markets.
ABOUT FOOD FOR FREE
Food For Free is a Cambridge-based, non-profit organization dedicated to providing the Greater Boston community with reliable access to fresh and nutritious food. Food For Free accomplishes its mission through food rescue, partnerships with schools, colleges, and community food programs, and our own direct service programs. In the last year, Food For Free distributed 4.7 million pounds of nutritious food to more than 30,000 people throughout Greater Boston. To learn more, please visit us at http://www.foodforfree.org/, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
ABOUT MARBLEHEAD COMMUNITY CHARTER PUBLIC SCHOOL
Marblehead Community Charter Public School’s mission is to be a school that fosters a community that empowers children to become capable, self-determining, fully engaged individuals who are critical and creative thinkers committed to achieving their highest intellectual, artistic, social, emotional, and physical potential. We are dedicated to involving, learning from, participating in, and serving our school community and the community at large. Since 1995, MCCPS has been an innovative school serving students in grades 4-8. MCCPS is designed to support each student’s maximum individual growth in order to continue successfully on their educational path, in particular preparing them for high school and beyond. MCCPS serves the communities of Marblehead, Swampscott, Nahant, Lynn, Salem, Beverly and Peabody. To learn more, please visit us online at https://www.marbleheadcharter.org/
