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Helping Agencies Reach Under-Served Communities

Published on August 16, 2016

No matter how much more food GBFB acquires, distribution increases will be minimal if our 550 agencies across Eastern Massachusetts do not have the infrastructure in place to get more food to more people who need it.

That’s why annual capacity grants are so important to our mission to end hunger here. Through capacity grants from GBFB, member agencies can use funds to improve their infrastructure and reach in areas such as refrigeration, storage and transportation. In 2015, over 35 member agencies – including Bread of Life and Weymouth Food Pantry – benefited from our capacity grants.

This truck, purchased in part with a $10,000 grant from GBFB, will allow Acton Community Supper and Food Pantry to distribute more food to their clients in Acton, Boxborough, Carlisle, Concord, Littleton, Maynard, Stow, and Westford.

Impact

An analysis of last year’s grants determined that the impact of capacity grants is substantial. In 2015, capacity grants resulted in:

  • 1.49 million additional pounds of food from GBFB distributed
  • 760,000 additional pounds of produce distributed
  • 2.5 million additional TOTAL pounds distributed (from GBFB AND other sources)
  • 3,430 increase in the average clients served monthly

This year, GBFB awarded over $100,000 in capacity grants to member agencies. Top recipients are Interfaith Social Services, The Family Pantry of Cape Cod, Our Daily Bread, Acton Community Supper and Food Pantry, and Rehoboth Baptist Church of Boston ($10,000 each); Yarmouth Food Pantry ($7,600); and Open Hearts Ministries ($5,000). Grant money will be used for transportation, refrigeration and other areas to help agencies distribute more healthy and fresh food to under-served communities.

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