Biogen Foundation Initiates Call To Action – Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Thermo Fisher Scientific, and Momenta Pharmaceuticals Join the Cause
Cambridge, MA (August 19, 2019)–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, today announced generous donations received from local biotech companies as a result of a call-to-action made by Michel Vounatsos, Chair Executive Officer of Biogen, and Robert K. Coughlin, President and Chief Executive Officer of MassBio. The resulting donations made by Alnylam, Thermo Fisher Scientific, and Momenta Pharmaceuticals totaling $45,000 will have a significant impact on Food For Free’s ability to feed those in need.
This effort comes on the heels of Biogen’s construction of a new preparation kitchen, completed pro-bono in order to grow and support Food For Free’s Family Meals program. The 500-square-foot space, located in Biogen headquarters, has the capacity to deliver over 100,000 meals annually and avoid 100,000 pounds of potential food waste. Biogen further supported the cause by donating $25,000 to the organization.
“Through the support of our life science neighbors who care about ending hunger and giving back to their community, we are able to drastically increase the number of individuals we can serve,” said Food For Free’s Executive Director Sasha Purpura. “We are so grateful to Biogen, MassBio, and Life Science Cares for spreading the word and for the amazing response we have seen from Alnylam, Thermo Fisher, and Momenta.”
“We are proud to join our industry colleagues in supporting Food For Free’s efforts to eliminate food insecurity in Greater Boston,” said Christine Lindenboom, Vice President, Investor Relations and Corporate Communications at Alnylam. “Hunger affects one in every ten people in Massachusetts, and over 260,000 of those impacted are children. It is our collective responsibility as members of this community to make sure that no child goes hungry.”
Food For Free’s Family Meals program repurposes prepared foods that would otherwise be discarded into single-serving meals for people in need. The organization collects surplus food from its corporate partners’ cafeterias and university dining halls, and volunteers turn this excess food into balanced microwavable meals. The meals are delivered to local community college students, families sheltered in hotels without access to kitchens, underprivileged families, and other populations that face barriers to cooking for themselves.
“For students struggling with hunger, the convenience of these balanced meals is critical,” said Craig Wheeler, President and CEO, at Momenta Pharmaceuticals. “In the life sciences community, our goal is to improve people’s lives so joining forces with Food For Free is a natural fit.”
“Food For Free’s innovative efforts to combat hunger in our community require and deserve the support of all businesses and individuals with the means to make a difference,” said Michel Lagarde, Senior Vice President and President, Pharma Services at Thermo Fisher. “It is our privilege to join forces with fellow life science leaders throughout Greater Boston to support this initiative to reduce food waste and help ensure that Food For Free and its incredible staff have the resources to do this vital work.”
The Biogen Foundation and Food For Free work closely with Life Science Cares, a life sciences industry effort to fight poverty and its impacts in the community, to source food donations and recruit volunteers from the industry to prepare Family Meals.
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 traditional food organizations, and our own direct service programs. In 2018, Food For Free distributed more than two 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.
