Nonpprofit Spotlight

Food For Free responds to local hunger by rescuing fresh food that would otherwise go to waste and distributing it within the emergency food system where it can reach those who need it. Through a combination of salvaging, purchasing, transportation services, and farming, they give low-income families access to foods that are fresh, nutritious, and desirable.

Purpose/Mission: Food For Free’s programs serve people who are “food insecure”—lacking consistent access to enough food to meet their basic nutritional needs, and dependent on resources such as pantries and meal programs to avoid going hungry.

Constituency served: Programs help more than 20,000 low-income, food-insecure people each year.

History:  Food For Free was created in 1981 when a group of Cambridge residents realized that local food programs were running out of food, while nearby grocery stores were throwing away their surplus. Using borrowed vans, they began rescuing this surplus food and distributing it to pantries, meal programs, and shelters. Food For Free was incorporated in 1983 and received 501(c)(3) status in 1985. In 1991, the Field of Greens program was created to grow nutrient-dense vegetables for distribution to local food programs and in 2002, Home Delivery was launched, which brings food to Cambridge seniors and people with disabilities who are physically unable to access food pantries. The newest program is the Transportation Partnership, created in 2010 at the request of the Greater Boston Food Bank, which brings food from the food bank to 11 Cambridge food programs that lack their own transportation.

Current news: On October 14, at MIT’s Morss Hall, Food For Free celebrated 30 years of service to the community with their Party Under the Harvest Moon. This event honored Food for Free’s founders, while raising funds to support work in the coming year. It featured food and drink donated by local businesses and a silent auction.

Impact on Cambridge community: Each morning, Food for Free drivers visit the wholesalers at the New England Produce Center where they solicit donations of fresh fruits and vegetables that might otherwise go to waste. Their route then takes them to several retail stores, where they gather fresh produce, baked goods, and dairy products. May through November, they work with nine farmers’ markets. They then deliver this food, while it’s still fresh, healthy, and delicious, to 79 local food programs.

Food For Free fills a unique niche in the local emergency food system by focusing on fresh produce; working with small food donors to make produce rescue feasible at the local level; serving non-traditional food programs such as after-school programs, day-care centers, clinics, and SROs; delivering to small agencies that do not have vehicles or staff for picking up food; and tailoring services and foods to the needs of each program.

Proudest accomplishment: In 2010, Produce Rescue distributed 1,005,000 pounds of food, while the Transportation Partnership moved 500,000 pounds of food last year between the Greater Boston Food Bank and 11 food programs that lacked their own transportation. Field of Greens harvested 7,000 pounds of food for distribution to local food programs, and Home Delivery brought monthly packages of food to 52 low-income, isolated seniors and people with disabilities.
Future plans: Food For Free is beginning to explore the feasibility of expansion into Chelsea, Charlestown and/or Everett. 

Greatest need: Food For Free is always looking for new food donors for the Produce Rescue program!

Get involved: There are frequently volunteer opportunities with truck routes, Farmers’ Market pick-ups, and farm shifts at Field of Greens. Go to www.foodforfree.org/volunteer-information for details.

Contact info: Food For Free is located at 11 Inman Street and can be reached at (617) 868-2900 or visit www.foodforfree.org.

Nonprofit members, if you’d like to be spotlighted in this column, contact Managing Editor Lisa Cohen at
lcohen@cambridgechamber.org.  

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