Ford Drives For Hunger Relief Meeting an Unmet Need Photo courtesy of the Lynn Community Health Center. David Abatsis, president of New England Ford Dealers, hands over the keys to a refrigerated Ford van to GBFB Vice President of Food Acquisition & Supply Chain, Cheryl Schondek, and GBFB Director of Warehousing and Logistics, Frank Gorman. The van transports fresh food to and from local pantries, meal programs, shelters and GBFB’s direct distribution programs. The Greater Boston Food Bank (GBFB) recently launched its largest free produce Mobile Market yet— delivering fresh fruits and vegetables to nearly 2,000 people—with its newest partner, Lynn Community Health Center (Lynn CHC). “There is a tremendous need here,” said Cynthia Steger-Wilson, market- ing and communications director at Lynn CHC. “It became apparent when we had 500 people pre-register for the market in one week.” This is the sixth Mobile Market GBFB has established at a health- Ford Motor Company shifted its support of The Greater Boston Food Bank (GBFB) into high gear this summer when it launched a new fund- raising campaign called Drive Against Hunger, as part of the Ford Fund’s Operation Better World initiative. During the month of August, Ford dealers generously donated $10 for every new car sold in Eastern Massa- chusetts, for a total contribu- tion of $18,580. “We are humbled by the generosity of our Boston-area Ford dealers who stepped up and exceeded expectations with donations that equate to a total of 56,000 healthy meals for families served by The Greater Boston Food Bank,” said Ann McDonough, Ford network development manager for the Boston region. Ford has partnered with GBFB since 2015 and has donated $160,500 over that time frame. This includes a $75,000 donation that enabled GBFB to buy a refrigerated van that transports fresh food to local pantries, meal programs and shelters. “We are so grateful for Ford’s steadfast support,” said Cath- erine D’Amato, GBFB president and CEO. “One in 10 people in Eastern Massachusetts doesn’t know where his or her next meal is coming from, and Ford’s generosity helps us bring healthy food to those who need it most.” GBFB.org/get-involved LEARN MORE AT Everyone has a role in ending hunger in our community.® 4 care center through its health and research program. The monthly distributions provide each participant with 25-30 pounds of free, fresh produce. Elizabeth Quinn, M.D., a Lynn CHC family physician, was instrumen- tal in bringing the Mobile Market to the healthcare center, having previously worked at the Greater Lawrence Family Health Center, another GBFB Mobile Market partner. “I expected there would be a similar set of problems here in Lynn,” Quinn said. Medical research shows that adults struggling with food insecurity are more likely to report poor physical and mental health, and have higher risks for chronic diseases like diabetes, hyperten- sion and depression. “In terms of providing healthcare, we want people to have more vegetables because that helps,” Quinn said. “But I also care about the priorities of the patients, and access to food is often one of their top priorities.” Her Fifth Holiday Food Drive and Growing American Red Cross Goes Above and Beyond Every winter, 13-year-old Bella Matthews’ basement becomes filled with boxes and cans of food, ready to be donated to The Greater Boston Food Bank (GBFB). Bella has organized a holiday food drive and fundraiser out of her home in Dedham for the past five years. She was inspired as an 8-year-old, when she saw a TV show about people renovating a soup kitchen to feed those struggling with hunger. “That made me think, ‘wow, I can’t believe there are people who don’t have food’,” Bella said. She enlisted the help of family and friends and collected 189 pounds of food her first year, which she donated to local food pantries. The number of donations grew each winter as word of her food drive spread through her school, St. Theresa of Avila in West Roxbury, and on social media. By 2015, Bella needed to find an organization with the capacity to accept all her donations, instead of having to travel to multiple pantries. That’s when she became involved with GBFB. Moving one of the largest, twice- weekly food distributions in Boston from indoors to outdoors, without notice, is no small feat. The American Red Cross: Boston Pantry (Red Cross), however, is no ordinary community partner. When a piece of masonry fell from the ceiling of the pantry, located at 1033 Massachusetts Ave. on April 6, the building was shut down immediately. “We were steadfast that we weren’t going to close our operation,” said David Andre, Red Cross food and nutrition programs director. Andre heads up the pantry, which serves 1,000 families a week. With the coordination and cooperation of The Greater Boston Food Bank (GBFB) and the City of Boston, the Red Cross set up its distributions next door at the Clifford Play- ground, according to Andre. The Red Cross held 27 distributions in the park from April to July, serving 12,716 families in need. “We responded in every way we could to ensure Red Cross pantry clients would go home with as 5 much healthy food as usual throughout the disruption,” said Jonathan Tetrault, GBFB director of distribution services. Community Partner of the Year GBFB honored the American Red Cross of Massachusetts with its 2017 Community Partner of the Year Award. The Red Cross received the award for going above and beyond in several ways: • Distributing nearly 100,000 pounds of GBFB-provided seasonal produce during the Thanksgiving holiday period. • Serving nearly one-sixth of the seniors eligible for the federal Commodity Supplemen- tal Food Program for low-income people 60 years of age or older, which GBFB administers in Massachusetts. • Relocating GBFB’s Lynn Mobile Market to the Red Cross parking lot when its previous location became unavailable. Last winter, Bella dropped off 1,154 pounds of food and $1,369 in financial contributions, which together provided the equivalent of over 5,000 healthy meals for people struggling with hunger in our area. “I’m very fortunate to have food on my table at home,” Bella said. “Everybody deserves to eat, so it makes me want to get out there year after year.” Photos courtesy of Bella Matthews. American Red Cross volunteers (such as Sharon Curry, pictured right) and staff distributed food outdoors for three months while the Boston pantry was repaired.