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On Tuesday, Feb. 20, families with children ages 10 and up will spend a morning of their February school vacation boxing fresh produce and pantry staples for neighbors in need through Food For Free’s Just Eats grocery box program. Forming a production line, volunteers will work to fill 320 grocery boxes, each adding a single item, such as sweet potatoes, beets, plantains, or beans, to each Just Eats box. Once closed and stacked onto pallets, Food For Free will load the boxes onto trucks for delivery to food programs across 16 Eastern Massachusetts communities.

Twenty volunteers will work alongside Food For Free staff members. Jennifer Pectol, Program Manager and Alex Gladwell, Senior Manager, Programs and Partnerships, will be available to give media tours of the nonprofit’s Packing and Distribution Center and can speak to the Just Eats grocery box program and the high need in Eastern Massachusetts communities. Select volunteers will also be available for interviews.

Tuesday, February, 20, from 9:00 to 11:30 a.m.                  

Food For Free’s Packing and Distribution Center, 59 Inner Belt Road, Somerville, MA 02143

Food For Free’s Just Eats grocery box program was developed during the pandemic to meet an increased demand in the community that has not diminished. The program relies on 125 volunteer hours to pack boxes each week and delivers over 65,000 grocery boxes annually. This February school vacation volunteer day provides a special opportunity for families to work together to give back to the community together in a tangible way, getting their hands on the nutrient-dense food that will make its way to the plates of community members who need it most through food pantries, low-income housing sites, and other food programs that otherwise wouldn’t have consistent access to fresh fruits and vegetables. Each box contains enough fresh produce and pantry staples to make an estimated 21 meals.

 As one of the nation’s first food rescue organizations, Food For Free now serves more than 150,000 Massachusetts residents who are food insecure and distributes over 6.2 million pounds of nutritious fresh and prepared foods annually. For more information, visit: www.foodforfree.org.

 Find Food For Free on social media: Facebook (@FoodForFree); Twitter (@foodforfreeorg); Instagram  (@foodforfreeorg); and LinkedIn (@FoodForFree).