Food banks across the country are constantly working to innovate and improve their services, and without them, the Feeding America network could never provide for those in need. Each month, we’ll be turning the spotlight onto an individual food bank that is working hard to become even more efficient and effective.
This month, we are featuring The Greater Boston Food Bank.
Earlier this spring, Feeding America member The Greater Boston Food Bank (GBFB) brought 6,610 pounds of food -- the equivalent of over 5000 meals -- to Hyannis, Massachusetts for an Emergency Mobile Market. In the mid- morning hours, food bankers and volunteers quickly unloaded contents of this mobile pantry to serve low-income individuals who had lost their food pantry and soup kitchen four days earlier in a devastating fire.
While the “mobile” emergency-relief aspect was the first of its kind for The Greater Boston Food Bank, direct distribution is common for the organization. As a part of the Feeding America Mobile Pantry Program, GBFB joins 128 other food bank members in an innovative effort to reach more people in need -- those who don’t have access to local pantries, shelters or soup kitchens for food.
Many food bankers can attest that the Mobile Pantry Program changes lives. “I get chills -- somewhere between the stomach and the heart -- a really visceral feeling about the work that I do,” stated Paul Colligan, GBFB’s Programs Director and maestro of the food bank’s Mobile Pantry Program. “It's literally a physical feeling of good will.”
Making fresh produce accessible
Getting nutritious food to those in need is an urgent problem, as Paul can confirm. Through your generous support of the Feeding America Mobile Pantry Program, highly perishable food can be safely delivered to those who cannot afford wholesome options. In Boston, Paul Colligan was able to do just that during a second Mobile Pantry stop that week at an elementary school.
“The school borders one of the largest low-income housing authorities in the area and is now a resource for the families,” he told Feeding America. Along with offering extended hours and free summer programs, the school now distributes fresh fruits, vegetables, meat and dairy to more than 275 families through the School-Based Mobile Pantry Program, sponsored by Target. This access is a much needed benefit to families who often have to choose between paying their bills and feeding their families.
Visit GBFB.org to learn more about the Greater Boston Food Bank!