We are all feeling the impacts of COVID-19 and none of us know exactly how this will play out.
Here at Food For Free, we are particularly concerned about the impact this is having on the vulnerable populations we serve, both today and in the coming weeks and months.

• As some of us try to stock up on weeks of food, many people struggle to have enough food for today
• When schools close, this compounds the challenges for families who rely on school breakfast and lunch
• Hourly workers and their families will be hit harder than most if required to stay home from work

How coronavirus transmission in Massachusetts is affecting Food For Free:
• Many of the Massachusetts cases stemmed from a conference held by our close partner, Biogen. They are taking thoughtful steps to contain the virus, including closing their facilities for the month of March. This means we don’t have access to our Family Meals kitchen and have had to temporarily halt production.
• Harvard, MIT, and other universities are moving to virtual classes. We expect this to significantly impact the amount of prepared food we collect, as so much of it comes from universities.

How Food For Free is responding:
• Food For Free has a three-stage epidemic response plan. We are currently operating in stage two which mandates additional sanitizing of our truck cabs and offices.
• We are working with the colleges and other organizations that currently receive family meals to inform them of the upcoming shortage and to determine if we can offer additional support with rescued food or food from the Greater Boston Food Bank.
• Our Home Delivery program serves an elderly, and thus very vulnerable population. We are committed to continuing their food delivery and taking extreme precautions to ensure we are not putting that population at risk. We plan to continue offering door-to-door deliveries while eliminating direct contact with these clients.
• We are working with City of Cambridge officials and public housing management to plan for potential school closures or other potential interruptions to food access by brainstorming alternate methods of getting food to the people affected.
While this new virus and all the unknowns create challenges for all of us, those challenges are much greater for the people we serve. We are deeply grateful for the support you have offered that allows Food For Free to exist. We ask for your continued support throughout this difficult time