The Greater Boston Food Bank Awards $1 Million in Community Investment Grants to 74 Hunger-Relief Organizations in Eastern Massachusetts

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The Greater Boston Food Bank Awards $1 Million in Community Investment Grants to 74 Hunger-Relief Organizations in Eastern Massachusetts

Grants dispersed to largest number of awardees in grant program’s history, strengthening food distribution partners’ capacity and services amidst growing strain on food system

(Boston, MA) July 9, 2025 – The Greater Boston Food Bank (GBFB), the largest hunger-relief organization in New England, announced the disbursement of $1 million in Community Investment Grants to 74 hunger-relief organizations across Eastern Massachusetts, marking the largest number of grant recipients in the program’s history. The funds empower GBFB’s partners to expand their services, staff, capacity, and food supply to deliver more nutritious meals to those facing food insecurity.

Agency Partners will leverage these funds to expand food storage and refrigeration, transportation upgrades, staffing additions, workforce upskilling, and infrastructure improvements. The application-based grants seek to fortify the region’s charitable food system as the issue of hunger continues to swell and strain the charitable food distribution network due to the compounding affordability crises in Massachusetts and threats to federal programs such as SNAP Medicaid.

As confirmed in GBFB’s Fifth Annual Statewide Food Access Report: The Cost of Hunger in Massachusetts, conducted in collaboration with Mass General Brigham, approximately 2 million adults in Massachusetts—1 in 3 individuals—faced food insecurity in 2024, and 24% faced very low food security. The report also examined the intersecting economic, financial, health, nutrition, societal, and human costs of hunger, materializing in families experiencing poorer health outcomes and decreased social connectedness while making tradeoffs between food and other necessities to make ends meet.

“Our latest report confirms that the current hunger landscape is driven by deep socioeconomic inequity, and it continues to take an immeasurable toll on every community in Massachusetts and our hunger-relief system as a whole,” said Catherine D’Amato, President and CEO of The Greater Boston Food Bank. “Communities need our help now more than ever, and these grants serve to empower our Agency Partners to make imperative upgrades to operations, expand capacity, and ultimately serve more healthy food to our neighbors during a time of monumental need. These funds are one of many tactics we must employ to offset the immense costs of hunger for our essential food distribution partners, as well as for the families and individuals whose wellbeing they work tirelessly to support.

GBFB’s Community Investment Grant program originated in 2013 as the Capacity Expansion Grant program and has provided over $8 million in financial assistance to GBFB Agency Partners that serve all 190 cities and towns in Eastern Massachusetts. Grant funding is a combination of private foundations, individual donors, and state infrastructure resources. These grants build a resilient accessible network of charitable food organizations supported by GBFB to ensure healthy nutritious food in every community.

2025 Community Investment Grant Awardees:

If you are interested in more information about specific grants or grantees, please reach out to GBFB at press@gbfb.org.

About The Greater Boston Food Bank
The Greater Boston Food Bank (GBFB) is the largest hunger-relief organization in New England and one of the largest food banks in the country. For nearly half a century, GBFB has fueled Eastern Massachusetts’ hunger-relief system, putting nearly 90 million healthy meals on tables across the region each year. Over 600 community-based pantries and other local partners in 190 cities and towns depend on GBFB to provide access to healthy food for 600,000 people every month. GBFB is committed to the belief that access to healthy food is a human right regardless of an individual’s circumstances. Through policy, partnerships, and providing free, nutritious, and culturally responsive food, GBFB is committed to addressing the root causes of food insecurity while promoting racial, gender and economic equity in food access. Together, we have the power to end hunger here. For more information and to help us help others, visit us at GBFB.org, follow us on Facebook, Twitter (@gr8bosfoodbank) and Instagram, or call us at 617.427.5200.

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