b"Catherine's MessageDear Friends,Providing for the People of LowellThese past six months have brought us historic levels of unemployment and demand for food because of the COVID-19 crisis. We are distributing more food and reaching more house-holds than any other time in the history of our organization. Food insecurity is estimated to have increased 59 percent in Eastern Massachusetts due to COVID-19. At a time when hunger-relief is critically important, The Greater Boston Food Bank (GBFB) is participating in Hunger Action Month, the annual nationwide public awareness campaign organized by Feeding America that occurs every September.Staff members and volunteers at the Greater Lowell Family YMCA (above) pack bags and boxes of food from GBFB Anyone can make a difference byfor a drive-up distribution, so residents donating, volunteering, or raisinglike Joan (right) can safely get the food awareness about hunger on socialthey need.media. Every action counts, especially at a time when so many are at risk of hunger. When the COVID-19 crisis began, there was an immediate increase in food insecurity and a need to get more food to more people. At Inside this issue, youll learn how GBFBThe Greater Boston Food Bank (GBFB) we helped create new food is creating new distribution methods anddistributions with partners we hadnt worked with before, at places launching new distribution sites in orderlike the Greater Lowell Family YMCA. to maximize our ability to safely get food to people in need.We were in a position through being closed due to COVID to support the community in any way possible, so this was a perfect Your donation helps us get nutritious foodopportunity for us, said Katherine Davis, senior program director for to people like Keith, a single father fromthe Greater Lowell Family YMCA. We had the space and staff and Lowell who lost his job because of theeagerness to make a meaningful impact in this time of need.COVID-19 pandemic. Youll learn about Keith and how we are able to help manyWe helped the YMCA hold eight Mobile Markets during the summerothers like him in this issue. its first-ever food distributions. Each week we delivered the food and volunteers at the YMCA would unpack, sort and box it, so it could I thank you for your incredible andbe safely given to people in a contactless drive-through distribution. continued support of our work throughDavis said about 350 families were given nutritious food each week.this time of crisis. Together, we can end hunger here.Talking with the families each week, it seemed as though this was the first experience with food insecurity for many families, Davis said.Sincerely,In the past 12 months, weve distributed over 1.1 million pounds of food to our eight partner agencies in Lowell. Your generous gift is helping us make a deep impact in places like Lowell and put food on Catherine DAmato the table for the more than 650,000 food-insecure people in Eastern President and CEOMassachusetts.Learn more at :GBFB .org/Distribution2"