Brookline Food Pantry Has A New Home Amid Increased Need

Brookline MA

01 July, 2021

2:52 PM

Description

BROOKLINE, MA — The Brookline Food Pantry has a new home base. Starting Aug. 1, United Parish will serve as the central location for the Food Pantry, marking a new chapter for both organizations. For the past 37 years, the Brookline Food Pantry has been working to alleviate food insecurity in town. It began as a ministry of St. Paul's Episcopal Church and in 2014 became its own non-profit. Volunteers come from all over Brookline to help stock and disseminate food to those who need it most. Need has expanded steadily over the years, leading to secondary locations in affordable housing complexes on Egmont and High streets. In 2018, the pantry began the Brookline Thrives program, which provides weekend backpacks of meals for students who need the additional food. Nearly 550 students participate in this program. During the pandemic, United Parish provided storage for the Brookline Thrives program. At the same time, need at the three food pantry locations increased from 175 households per week to 750. With all of this increased food insecurity, the pantry needed more space. The past winter, the Food Pantry and United Parish began talking about a possible collaboration, according to church officials. It was a natural fit, they said. Operations will continue as normal for the satellite locations, but main operations will start at United Parish Aug. 1.