Upcoming Closures!
The Newton Food Pantry will be closed on Wednesday, April 29 and Thursday, April 30.
In addition to being the Newton Food Pantry’s largest supplier, GBFB provides a valuable service in our community that many don’t even realize. “With all of their communications about food insecurity, they have elevated the issue and normalized asking for help,” says Dr. Regina Wu, President of the Newton Food Pantry. “They have made our job so much easier because people aren’t afraid to come to us.” The communications have been invaluable for fundraising as well. “They have been so good about blasting the need to help people,” says Regina. “They have such a wide audience, and when I approach donors or potential partners they have already heard the message.”
While The Greater Boston Food Bank has a long history of advocating for food justice, the last two years have been a wake-up call for everyone: “The pandemic has shone a light on food insecurity that’s long overdue,” says Gary, noting that his office is now fielding calls from the media nearly every day. “Right now we’re experiencing the highest inflation numbers in 40 years. The media knows to reach out to us because they know that we have a direct line to the people who are most impacted.”
Partly due to their relationships with the media, donations have been flooding in, not just to The Greater Boston Food Bank, but to agencies and food pantries across the region. “There is so much generosity in our community. And it’s not just about raising money for us. It has to be about lifting up the entire network,” Gary says. “When it comes to donating and volunteering, we try to make the point that people can help our food bank, but the people who really need help are the community pantries. People who actually get involved by volunteering become more vested in the mission. The tide lifts all ships.”
An unexpected bright spot in the past two years is that the network has become much stronger. “There was always a network of agencies, we worked together, and communicated in various ways,” says Gary. “When everyone started social distancing and needed more real-time updates, we set up bi-weekly agency calls and invited everyone in the network. Agency leaders talked about what they were working on and asked what others were seeing. These meetings now happen monthly, with 70–90 organizations attending.” In the beginning, attendees met to compare notes and strategize about pandemic responses. Now, the meetings have evolved. “We talk advocacy, policy, cost increases, distribution folks talk about logistics, the rising cost of diesel, how they are evolving and improving how they are getting food to people in need,” says Gary. “I’ve heard from many partners—they love those calls. The partners learn a lot and so do we. We get the feedback we crave.” This insight has led to greater exposure for everyone: “When the Boston Globe wants to talk to someone on the ground, we can source them—we know the stories and which agency can help, depending on the story angle.”
Over 15 years of work, The Greater Boston Food Bank has provided so much more than most people realize. It’s helped to build and fuel a movement to end food insecurity in Newton and across our region. We’re so grateful for this partnership.