Local non-profit opens new center to address rising levels of food insecurity in the Greater Boston area.
Cambridge, MA (December 3rd, 2020) – 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 the opening of its new food packaging and distribution center in East Cambridge. The new food packing and distribution center will help Food For Free meet the growing demand for food during the pandemic.
“This has been a challenging year for everyone,” said Sasha Purpura, Executive Director of Food For Free. “Never in the forty years since Food For Free’s founding have we had to scale up our programs and operations like we have this year. We are steadily working to fill in the gaps that the pandemic has created in the emergency food system and thankfully our community has rallied behind us to support our work. The City of Cambridge graciously offered us the use of the Cambridge Senior Center as our food packing and distribution center in March when the pandemic hit. We knew that we would need to find another space once winter began as the senior center is also the base for the Cambridge Warming Center which is a critical service for the homeless population during the colder months. We began our search in the summer to prepare to move in December but had a hard time finding a suitable space. Once again ,we reached out to the community for help.”
When the East Cambridge Business Association learned that Food For Free would be losing its packing and distribution center, executive director Jason Alves reached out to his membership to see if anyone could assist. Paul Ognibene, CEO of East Cambridge-based Urban Spaces, quickly responded. Ognibene and his team met with Food For Free, and after just a few short meetings, had forged a new partnership, which provides Food For Free with a new 3,600 sf rent-free distribution center at 73 First Street in the heart of Cambridge’s First Street Corridor. Food For Free will cover only the building operating expenses and Urban Spaces will waive rental and management fees.
“We are very grateful to our community partners and donors for their support as we continue to provide fresh, healthy food to our local communities especially during these times of rising food insecurity,” said Sasha Purpura, Executive Director of Food For Free. “Our new food packing and distribution center will help us expand so we can keep providing more food resources to the community.”
At a ribbon cutting for the new space on Friday, Representative Marjorie Decker spoke passionately about Food For Free’s work, “”No one should ever go hungry anywhere in our country and certainly not in Cambridge. Food For Free has understood this basic human right and enabled our community to come together and step up where government falls short and fails. As a child Food For Free was there for my family and my gratitude is so deep. Food For Free continues to play a critical life saving role in helping families and individuals nourish their families. Thank you to every volunteer, donor, and family whose courage to utilize the pantry helps break down the stigma and shame too many people believe is their own shortcoming.”
Food For Free’s new food packing and distribution center in East Cambridge will host several volunteers a week who will pack food for Food For Free’s Home Delivery, Weekend Backpack, and future new programs. 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. The program’s enrollment rose sharply, more than doubling, during the pandemic. 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. New programming will likely include packing and distribution of food boxes to Cambridge, Chelsea, East Boston, Somerville, and other local communities.
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 2.7 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.
