Food For Free, the leading food rescue and distribution nonprofit dedicated to providing reliable access to fresh and nutritious food to Eastern Massachusetts communities, has received a $34,000 grant from The Greater Boston Food Bank (GBFB).

The Community Investment Grant will support the Somerville and Cambridge based nonprofit’s year-round efforts to improve local food systems, bolstering GBFB’s network of food distribution agencies and advancing hunger-relief efforts across the region.

The annual grant program, originally founded in 2013, has now been investing in GBFB partner agencies for over a decade. This investment aims to strengthen Food For Free’s ability to rescue food that would otherwise go to waste and create new distribution channels to reach underserved populations. The grant will be used to fund the purchase of a 2020 Isuzu box truck, which will further the nonprofit’s ability to transport fresh and prepared food to the organization’s more than 150 community partners serving residents struggling with enough to eat.

A GBFB partner, Food For Free acquires rescued, donated, and purchased food from a number of sources to meet the increased demand to ensure everyone in the community–regardless of age, income, or ability–has consistent access to nutrition.

Founded in 1981 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.

“This truck will be an asset to our food rescue and distribution efforts for years to come,” says Tim Cavaretta, Director of Operations at Food For Free. “We are so grateful for The Greater Boston Food Bank’s investment in our longstanding partnership and shared mission to increase access to healthy foods in the communities we serve.”

This grant coincides with GBFB’s fourth annual report on food insecurity, equity, and access in Massachusetts. The 2024 study, “Food Equity and Access in Massachusetts: Voices and Solutions from Lived Experience [1],” reveals consistently high rates of food insecurity in the state and sustained disparities in food access for communities of color and households with children.

“Greater Boston Food Network’s network of dedicated agency partners continue to inspire us to be innovative in our efforts to address food insecurity across Eastern Massachusetts,” says Catherine D’Amato, President and CEO at GBFB. “With sustained inequities in food access across our region, we aim to continue to invest in those communities facing a heightened need for food and drive progress towards hunger relief through strategic grantmaking to our network of agency partners. As the cost of living in our region continues to rise, we look forward to seeing how these funds bolster Food For Free’s ability to provide nutritious meals to our neighbors across the region.”

About Food For Free:

Food For Free is a Cambridge and Somerville-based non-profit organization dedicated to providing eastern Massachusetts with reliable access to fresh and nutritious food. Food For Free accomplishes its mission through food rescue, partnerships with schools, colleges, and community food programs, and our own direct service programs. In the last year, Food For Free distributed over 6.2 million pounds of nutritious food to 25 communities throughout Eastern Massachusetts. To learn more, visit them at www.foodforfree.org, or follow Food For Free on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @foodforfreeorg.

About The Greater Boston Food Bank:

The Greater Boston Food Bank (GBFB) is the largest hunger-relief organization in New England and among the largest food banks in the country. As the food bank for Eastern Massachusetts, GBFB is feeding people in 190 towns across the region, distributing the equivalent of nearly 90 million meals through a network of 600 dedicated food distribution partners and programs. A member of the national Feeding America network, GBFB’s mission is to end hunger here. The organization remains committed to the belief that access to healthy food is a human right regardless of an individual’s circumstances. Through policy, partnerships, and providing free, nutritious, and culturally responsive food, GBFB is committed to addressing the root causes of food insecurity while promoting racial, gender and economic equity in food access. For more information and to help them help others, visit them at GBFB.org, follow them on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gr8bosfoodbank/, Twitter: @gr8bosfoodbank) and Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gr8bosfoodbank/, or call them at 617-427-5200.