Home-Delivered Food for
the “Under 60” population
Ever struggle to find appropriate nutrition resources for a patient who does not qualify for meals on wheels due to age, but doesn’t have the ability to grocery shop or transport food from Food Pantries to his/her home? The CRC has found that affordable home-delivered nutrition resources in the Boston area for younger adults are very limited; however a few noteworthy programs do exist.
One such program is the Food For Free Committee, which delivers food to Cambridge residents who, because of a disability or impairment, are unable to use Food Pantry programs. To the best of our knowledge, this program is unique in the Boston area. Food For Free serves Cambridge residents who meet low-income eligibility standards, as defined by HUD guidelines (less than $30,050 per year for an individual) and are unable to access Food Pantry services or do not have a relative or friend who can go on his/her behalf.
Program participants can receive food delivery once a month that is comparable to what a walk-in pantry customer would receive. The program responds to hunger by rescuing fresh food, that might otherwise go to waste and distributing it within the emergency food network. Food is procured through partnerships with local farmers, grocery stores, pantries, and other meal programs. The partnerships with local farmers enable program participants to receive fresh seasonal produce, which many food pantries are unable to distribute. In addition to receiving 3-4 days of fresh produce, the program distributes non-perishables such as canned items, pasta, cereal, and peanut butter to last the participant the entire month. Participants are asked to confirm interest in a monthly delivery and are expected to be at home to sign for deliveries.
Food For Free Home Delivery Program serves a limited number of participants, who must apply for assistance with the support of a doctor, nurse, social worker, or other appropriate provider. As of last month, the program director was planning on utilizing new funding to expand the program to serve 60 Cambridge residents (up from 50 currently) with expected expansion to 70 participants in the near future. Food For Free maintains a waiting list for those who are not immediately accepted into the program.
For more information please contact the Food For Free Committee:
11 Inman Street
Cambridge , MA 02139
617-868-2900
www.foodforfree.orgOther Nutrition Programs That Serve Younger Adults:
Community Servings (Chronically ill)
Community Servings delivers free nutritious meals to individuals and families with acute life-threatening illnesses in the Greater Boston area. This program has been around since 1990 for those living with HIV/AIDS, but in June of 2004, the program was expanded to include individuals and families struggling with any type of acute life-threatening illness, such as cancer, multiple sclerosis, Lou Gehrig’s disease and lupus.Peapod (Stop and Shop)
Peapod is a program for home-delivered groceries, that while helpful for many, requires orders to be submitted online. It therefore may not be an option for those who do not have computer access at home or cannot use the internet at a library due to medical impairments or disability. www.peapod.com.Food Pantries (Delivery through volunteer coordination)
Some Food Pantries have volunteers on staff that will assist individuals with loading groceries into vehicles and/or offer home-delivery services. These services are rare, and vary by program. To locate a local Food Pantry, access the Greater Boston Food Bank Pantry locator: http://gbfb.org/need-food/ or contact Project Bread’s Food Source Hotline: 1-800-645-8333. The Social Service Department, with help from the Department of Nutrition and Food Services can provide a one-time supply of easy to prepare, nutritious, familiar and tasty foods - enough for 6-8 meals - for financially needy inpatients who are being discharged with no access to food. More information about eligibility criteria and procedure are available on the form.
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