A Guide to Greater Boston and Worcester’s Food Nonprofits

There are many people and organizations in Eastern Massachusetts helping to reduce hunger and increase food access by preparing meals, spreading advocacy, organizing food rescue programs, developing food distribution systems and farming for the community. Most offer volunteer opportunities as well; we compiled this list to make it easier to find an opportunity in your area and lend a helping hand. Click on the links for more information on how to volunteer, or how to receive these services yourself. 

In addition to the organizations listed below, most towns and cities in Massachusetts operate their own food pantries, and the MA SNAP-Ed website keeps a handy map linking out to the larger regional food banks. 

BOSTON / BROOKLINE / CAMBRIDGE / SOMERVILLE, PLUS SUFFOLK COUNTY

Community Servings prepares nutritious and medically tailored meals in Boston and Mansfield and provides them to people living with critical, chronic and severe illness all over Massachusetts. 

Daily Table is a nonprofit grocery chain dedicated to providing fresh, tasty, convenient and nutritious food to communities most in need at prices everyone can afford. Stores are located in Central Square, Dorchester, Mattapan, Roxbury and Salem with free cooking classes offered at its kitchen in Dorchester. 

Fair Foods provides healthy produce to low income families in the Boston area through its $2 per bag program in Brockton, Dorchester, East Boston, Fenway, Mattapan, Quincy, Roslindale, Roxbury, South Boston, South End, Stoughton and Taunton.

Friday Night Supper Program serves a hot, nutritious meal to anyone who wants one every Friday night in Boston. 

Greater Boston Food Bank acquires food through food industry product donations and through financial contributions to purchase high nutrient food, then partners with organizations (food pantries, soup kitchens, meal programs and senior centers) to distribute over 100 million pounds of food annually.

Haley House serves food to people through its soup kitchen and its food pantry, located in the South End, grows food in its gardens and teaches cooking classes.

Project Bread is an anti-hunger nonprofit which connects people to federal nutrition programs through advocacy and outreach and is the organizer of Boston’s annual Walk for Hunger.

Urban Farming Institute develops and promotes urban farming practices to empower individuals and neighborhoods and bring affordable, healthy food and healthy programming to the community. 

Women’s Lunch Place provides a nutritious breakfast and lunch six days a week to people who identify as women. In addition, it operates a daytime shelter and advocacy center in Boston and is dedicated to helping women experiencing homelessness, hunger and poverty.

ESSEX COUNTY

Bread and Roses in Lawrence provides food through its community meals and delivers meals and food staples to those who are unable to take part. They rescue food then provide it to people who need it through a food pantry and provide direct food relief to individuals residing in homeless encampments.

My Brother’s Table is a soup kitchen in Lynn, providing meals daily to people, no questions asked, in addition to delivering meals to the critically ill, those in jail, those in respite care, plus seniors and families who are coping with mental and other health issues.

New Entry Sustainable Farming Project in Beverly works with new farmers to build strong businesses, expertise in the field and a resilient food system through food access programs, CSAs and a mobile market. 

Nourishing the North Shore connects the community to local produce, farms and gardening resources through its food pantries in Newbury, Newburyport, Amesbury, Haverhill, Salisbury and West Newbury, its mobile markets in Newbury and Salisbury and its CSA program. 

The Open Door connects people to good food through its food pantries in Ipswich and Gloucester, mobile markets and community meals, advocates on behalf of those in need and engages others in the work of building food security.

Three Sisters Garden Project is a nonprofit farm in Ipswich with a food access mission, offering weekly produce shares and providing nutritious, local produce and meals for insecure neighbors.

MIDDLESEX COUNTY

Boston Area Gleaners in Acton organizes volunteers to harvest or glean surplus crops from local farms and pack them for donation to food banks, pantries, community kitchens and other food access initiatives.

Daniel’s Table in Framingham provides food relief and nutrition education through a weekly food market, grocery deliveries, community freezer locations and education. 

Food for Free in Somerville rescues fresh and prepared nutritious food that might otherwise go to waste and delivers it to 100+ food programs in Arlington, Boston, Cambridge, Chelsea, Lynn, Malden, Medford, Revere, Somerville and Watertown.

Food Link in Arlington partners with food retailers, distributors and farms to rescue high-quality fresh fruit, vegetables, meat, dairy, bread and prepared foods that might otherwise end up in landfills and distributes it to 46 communities around Greater Boston. 

Gaining Ground grows vegetables and fruit in Concord with the help of several thousand community volunteers and donates the fresh food to local meal programs and food pantries.

Spoonfuls (formerly known as Lovin’ Spoonfuls) focuses on food recovery and distribution while the food is still fresh to community organizations across Massachusetts.

Open Table distributes bags of groceries, which include fresh produce, proteins, dairy, baked goods and shelf-stable products, to over 300 households each week and provides over 800 prepared meals to clients from the Metro West suburbs.  

Waltham Fields Community Farm programs include sustainable agriculture and farm preservation, a farm store, CSA, K-12 education, adult workshops, farm tours, farmer training, food bank, food access and volunteer service learning.

NORFOLK COUNTY

Interfaith Social Services hosts one of Greater Boston’s largest food pantries, providing emergency food to families and individuals in addition to running the largest food rescue program on the South Shore. 

WORCESTER COUNTY

Community Harvest Project engages and educates volunteers to grow fresh fruits and vegetables for hunger relief at its farms in Grafton and Harvard and partners with food banks, food pantries, community meals, residential programs, health centers and medically tailored meal programs in Massachusetts. 

Growing Places works to provide equitable access to healthy food to people in North Central Massachusetts through education, collaboration and advocacy.

Loaves and Fishes is a food pantry which provides nutritious food to people in need who reside in Ayer, Devens, Dunstable, Groton, Harvard, Littleton and Shirley.

Rachel’s Table is a volunteer-based organization which collects unserved and unsold prepared and perishable food from restaurants, markets, bakeries, senior centers and private food donors and distributes it to 30 shelters, soup kitchens, and neighborhood pantries that serve individuals facing food insecurity in Greater Worcester.

Regional Environmental Council (REC) A nonprofit food justice organization with community and school gardens, farmers markets and a youth employment and urban agriculture program for Worcester teens.

St. John’s Food for the Poor Program at St. Francis Xavier Center includes a food pantry as well as a soup kitchen in Worcester. 

Worcester County Food Bank partners with food and fund donors, volunteers, business and community leaders to provide over 6 million pounds of food to people in Worcester County and advocates for policies and programs that decrease hunger and increase access to healthy food.