The Boston Food Pantry is operated by the American Red Cross of Massachusetts. Since 1982, they’ve been on a mission to help alleviate hunger and food insecurity among low-income communities throughout the Boston area. They provide food and nutrition resources to individuals and families at our pantry, through mobile distribution programs and a Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP). Their Food Recycling program diverts food waste from landfills transporting it to local farms where recycled into compost.
Staff and volunteers provide nutrition education and help their clients apply for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits to better enable them to purchase more food. Through their mobile distribution programs – the Boston Public Schools (BPS) Grove Hall Alliance Initiative, East Boston Neighborhood Health Center (EBNHC) and Head Start (HS) Initiatives – they provided healthy food and nutrition resources to varying food insecure populations throughout our community.
Service hours:Wednesday & Saturday: 9:00am - 11:00am
Other Locations:Entrance door is on Proctor Street
Requirements & Restrictions:No registration or sign-up is required; no questions are asked.
Transportation Google MapsThe mission of the Friday Night Supper Program is to serve a hot nutritious meal in a safe and dignified environment every Friday to anyone who wants one.
Each guest is served a nutritious three-course meal consisting of soup, dinner, and dessert at their table by their courteous volunteer serves.
They also provide clothing, shoes, toiletries, and other essential items to their guests following meal service. Twice per month, Friday Night Supper Program provides basic essentials to its guest through a request and need-based system.
Clothing Closet
On the second and fourth Friday of the month, from 5:00pm to 6:00pm, guests can put in their request for clothing at the table near the piano. The clothing closet opens up at 6:30pm.
Resource Cards
The FNSP has a series of “People Cards” that provide information on free resources in Boston. They have one for Food and Shelter resources, Health care resources, and useful resources (employment/education services, legal assistance, etc.).
Every Friday between the hours of 5:00pm-7:00pm. Guests can begin to line up in the public alley off Arlington Street at 4:30pm
Requirements & Restrictions:No registration or sign-up is required, no questions are asked.
Transportation Google MapChurch Food Pantry:
They believe that food should not be a privilege but a basic human right and no one should ever go hungry. The pantry is open on the 1st and 3rd Thursday of each month from 8am – 11am. However, if you have an emergency for food, please call Berea Food Pantry at 617-427-2201.
Service hours:
Office Hours: Monday through Friday: 9:00am to 1:00pm
Requirements & Restrictions:Bring photo ID for food pantry, as well as bags for food.
Transportation Google MapsWorship services: Sunday at 7:30am and 11am
Sunday School & New Member’s Class: 9:30am
Additional programs, activities, groups:
Their church door is open- Please remember to wear a mask and practice social distancing.
Service hours:Monday through Friday: 8:00am-4:15pm
Transportation Google MapsBoston Rescue Mission offers a variety of programs and resources that prevent and end homelessness and support the recovery, health, faith, and independence of those who have a history of substance abuse, incarceration, and homelessness. Programs offered include:
Varies by program
Transportation Google MapsBridge offers a comprehensive range of services to youth ages 14 to 24 in a positive and safe environment.
Street Outreach and Mobile Medical Van: Street Outreach is Bridge’s daily “foot patrol” of trained outreach workers who make regular consistent contact with homeless youth on the street throughout a range of neighborhoods in Boston and Cambridge. The Mobile Medical Van (MMV) connects with the street outreach team each weeknight. See specific hours below. The Van provides medical attention, survival kits, clothes, food and referrals.
Runaway Program: Bridge is the local respondent for the national runaway hotline offering 24-hour access to a counselor and a safe overnight accommodation away from the streets for homeless youth ages 14-17 for up to 72 hours.
Traditional Day Program (TDP): Visit the second floor of the Bridge building for a free breakfast or lunch. You can shower, use the lockers, do your laundry, attend a workshop, and see a case manager.
Medical Care: Bridge offers weekly free medical services staffed by healthcare professionals at the 47 West Street Facility.
Counseling and Support Services: Get help for substance abuse, family & peer relationships, survival needs and other crisis intervention services. Bridge counselors will support and listen to you.
Emergency Residence: Short-term transitional residence at the 47 West St. location for homeless youth ages 18 to 24. Youth commit to counseling, employment and continue their education. During the winter months, Bridge opens up the Warming Center, as an adjunct to the ER, each night to youth who need overnight shelter and survival each day from November through April.
Education and Career Development Program: Classes for youth to attain their HiSet. Takes place M – F from 9am – 12pm and 1pm – 4:00pm. Flexible schedule, rolling admissions, guidance counseling for youth who wish to enter or continue college or vocational program.
Transitional Living Program: Long-term transitional residential program. Residents are required to maintain employment, continue their education, and meet weekly with a counselor.
Single Parent Home: Transitional living program for pregnant and parenting homeless young women and their children. Serves up to 10 families at any given time and may stay for up to 2 years.
Housing: Bridge offers a variety of supportive services for youth seeking housing. Liberty House is the next step for young adults who have participated in their Transitional Living Program in Brighton. Bridge also currently participates in rapid re-housing programs for youth based on the “housing first” model. This program with the City of Boston is another avenue to prioritize youth for housing.
Service hours:Intake: Mon. - Fri. 9am - 4:30pm
Mobile Medical Van Hours: Mon. - Fri., 5pm-6:30pm @ Boston Common, 7pm - 8:30pm @ Harvard Square
Youth only, ages 14 to 24
Languages: Spanish, English Transportation Google MapsThrift Shop
Open on Saturdays 10:00a.m. – 1:00p.p.m. – includes children’s clothes, books, kitchen items, and more. There’s a “free store” downstairs in the church’s dining hall with out-of-season clothing and excess books and toys
Food Pantry: Baskets and Community Supper
The Allston-Brighton Food Pantry provides nourishing food at no cost to members of the Allston-Brighton community.
Food Basket- Am I eligible?
In order to qualify for the Food Basket program you must provide:
If you meet all of these requirements, arrive at the Allston-Brighton Food Pantry (404 Washington St, Brighton) between 10am and 1pm to receive your food basket .
Transportation Google Maps“Ensuring that none of our Brookline neighbors go to bed hungry.”
210 Harvard St. United Parish: Wednesdays 2pm - 5pm
Other Locations:(1) 226 High Street Brookline, Ma 02445
Tuesday: 3pm – 7pm
(2) 55A Egmont Street, Brookline 02446
Thursday: 3pm – 7pm
Saturday: 10am – 1pm
Food Pantry
If you are unsure of whether you qualify, please call Elizabeth Boen, Director, at 617-800-5339
Emergency Food Delivery Assistance
To see if you qualify for home delivery services, please call them at 617-800-5339
Cambridge Economic Opportunity Committee (CEOC) is an anti-poverty agency fighting to empower people and mobilize resources to fight poverty’s causes and impacts. See specific services below:
May vary by program
Requirements & Restrictions:May vary by program
Languages: Amharic, English, Haitian Creole, Portuguese, Spanish Transportation Google MapsThe Monday Lunch program has been serving a freshly cooked hot lunch for anyone who desires it every week for thirty years. MANNA volunteers now join their long standing partner parishes to welcome the broader homeless community every Monday at 11:30 a.m.
Lunch is served every Monday from 11:30 a.m. – 12:45 p.m. in Sproat Hall.
Monday Lunch is still running, but in a modified manner to comply with the CDC and other public health requirements. They will be serving individually prepared meals.
The Cathedral offers additional services, including weekly masses, a microlibrary, meditation groups, and more. See the website for more information.
Service hours:Mondays, 11:30am - 12:45pm
Transportation Google MapsCatholic Charities operates a number of community service centers in eastern Massachusetts. The centers provide a wide variety of support services including some basic needs emergency assistance, education and training programs, transitional housing for families, child care, and family counseling, and support.
Programs:
For COVID-19 Program Updates, click here.
Service hours:See CCAB website
Other Locations:Catholic Charities Program Locations
Catholic Charities Labouré Center
275 West Broadway, South Boston
617-464-8500
Also home to Refugee and Immigration Services & Community Interpreter Services
Catholic Charities Refugee and Immigration Services
275 West Broadway, South Boston
617-464-8100
Catholic Charities North
117 North Common Street, Lynn
781-593-2312
Catholic Charities South
169 Court Street, Brockton
508-587-0815
Catholic Charities Yawkey Center
185 Columbia Road, Dorchester
617-506-6600
Merrimack Valley Catholic Charities
70 Lawrence Street, Lowell
978-452-1421
Catholic Charities Child Care Locations
Yawkey Child Care Center
185 Columbia Road, Dorchester
617-506-6600
Nazareth Child Care Center
19 St. Joseph Street, Jamaica Plain
617-522-4040
Lynn Child Care Center
37 North Federal Street, Lynn
781-598-5547 ext. 230
Malden Early Education and Learning Program
77 Salem Street, Malden
781-397-6055
Peabody Child Care Center
13 Pulaski Street, Peabody
978-532-6860
Labouré Child Care Center
275 West Broadway, South Boston
617-464-8500
Home Based Family Child Care
6 Pleasant Street, Suite 220
Malden, MA
781-605-3330
To provide families with relief, City Mission has four programs dedicated to homelessness prevention:
For more information please contact the Director of Homelessness Prevention Programs, Paola Miranda, at pmiranda@citymissionboston.org
Service hours:M - F: 9am - 5pm
Transportation Google MapsThe Teaching Kitchen offers a job training program that consists of a 12-week curriculum covering all factors of working in a professional kitchen. This includes food safety, nutrition, knife skills, quality food preparation, and Servsafe certification.
Trainees learn by completing daily hands-on classes with a chef instructor, as well as through participation in a culinary internship in the Community Servings kitchen, where over 3,000 meals are made from scratch each day. The program also includes job readiness classes, resume writing, mock interviews, digital and financial literacy, and one year of job placement and job retention support for all graduates.
Service hours:Monday through Thursday, 9am-4pm (arrive no later than 8:45am each day).
No formal classes are held on Fridays, but trainees are welcome to complete additional, voluntary culinary internship hours.
Requirements & Restrictions:Must be a citizen or be legally registered. Proficiency in English. High school diploma/GED/HiSET not required. CORI friendly; not SORI friendly.
Waiting time: New classes starting every 6 to 7 weeks. Rolling admission process- apply anytime and have an acceptance decision within 1-2 weeks! Languages: English only Transportation Google MapsThe Food Pantry provides individuals and families in need with fresh fruits and vegetables, canned and dry goods, meats, and dairy products. Community members are welcome to come to the pantry two times per month.
For current information on available services, visit their Covid-19 resources page.
Service hours:Admin
Mon-Fri: 8:00am - 6:00pm
Pantry Hours
Tuesday: 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
Friday: 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
They serve individuals and families in need in the Cambridge and Greater Boston area with no residency restrictions. On your first visit, you will be required to fill out an intake form. Bring ID and a form of income verification. Acceptable forms of verification include pay stubs, Medicare/Mass Health card, a DTA/EBT card, a referral, a benefit statement, or any other document that proves your income status.
Transportation Google MapsIn partnership with Temple Beth Shalom, Faith Lutheran Church warm and nutritious serves to-go meals at 6:30 p.m. on the second and last Tuesdays of each month in the parking lot at 311 Broadway. You don’t have to sign up ahead of time. Just come! There are often seconds, which they begin giving away at 7:00 pm.
Service hours:Second and last Tuesdays each month, 6:30pm.
Transportation Google MapsRequirements & Restrictions:
Shelter: 18+; must be drug and alcohol-free; not able to admit guests who are experiencing an acute psychiatric emergency; no registered sex offenders
Transportation Google MapsThe Boston chapter of Food Not Bombs serves a free and healthy vegan meal every week. Run solely by volunteers, at Food Not Bombs you’ll find no bosses or leaders, They serve one meal weekly year-round and rarely if ever, miss a meal. They also sometimes serve at special events and protests. Everyone is encouraged to come eat, volunteer, and share ideas. All are welcome at their table.
Service hours:Serve the meal from 12:30pm until food runs out (usually between 2-3) at the Carl F. Barron Plaza in Cambridge Central Square
Requirements & Restrictions:Because the meal is served outside, they do not limit the number of people there, and you can join without signing up.
Members are required to wear masks to cook and serve the food.
Transportation Google MapsProject Bread toll-free FoodSource Hotline is the only comprehensive statewide information and referral service in Massachusetts for people facing hunger.
Project Bread’s toll-free FoodSource Hotline provides:
• Information on and referrals to emergency food pantries and meal programs
• Information about SNAP/food stamps including screening for eligible and general questions from current recipients
• Over the phone SNAP application assistance and follow-up
• Information about free and reduced-price school and summer meal programs for children
• Information on the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC)
M - F: 8am - 7pm; Sat: 10am - 2pm
Requirements & Restrictions:Service available by telephone only.
Available to all Massachusetts residents.
Having a criminal record and/or being homeless does NOT disqualify anyone from being eligible for Food Stamps.
Their Food Pantry serves hundreds of people each year, providing food for anyone in need. Guests receive a nutritious supply of groceries to help them get by.
Pantry operations during COVID-19: They intend to remain open during this time. Their hours of operation will not change. However, to practice social distancing, they’re asking guests to park in their lot and remain in their cars. Please do not enter the building. Pantry staff will bring groceries out to their guests. If you walk or take public transportation to the pantry, please remain outside the door and staff will assist you there.
Service hours:Tuesday evenings from 6:30pm - 8:00pm
Requirements & Restrictions:They have no geographic restrictions – all are welcome.
Haley House uses food with purpose and the power of community to break down barriers between people, empower individuals, and strengthen neighborhoods.
Five Branches
Education & Training
The Harvard Square Churches Meal Program hosts an evening meal every Thursday night at Christ Church, Cambridge. A Marketplace accompanies the meal composed of canned goods, fresh fruits and vegetables, bread, toiletries.
Service hours:Doors open at 5:00pm with the meal served, restaurant-style at 5:30pm
Other Locations:The Harvard Square Churches Meal Program hosts an evening meal every Thursday night at 5:00 at Christ Church, Harvard Square, Cambridge.
Transportation Google MapsHarvard Square Homeless Shelter (HSHS) is a dry shelter open from October 15 until April 15. HSHS is student-run and operates out of the basement of University Lutheran Church in Harvard Square. HSHS works to provide guests with shelter, food, security, and a supportive environment of mutual respect. HSHS serves 18 guests per night.
Services:
Reserving a Bed
Season-long beds
Lotteries for beds occur on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays as beds become available. To enter the waitlist, fill out the lottery form online or in-person at the door of the shelter. The waitlist will be refreshed on the first day of every month, so everyone must re-enter the waitlist each month. Winning lottery numbers will be posted on the door and will be available over the phone the morning of each lottery.
Meals (Guests receive breakfast and dinner. Blankets, basic toiletries, and food are available for guests as well as non-guests at the door)
Laundry (HSHS maintains a washer and dryer for guest use)
Computers (Three computers with internet connection and a printer are available for guests throughout their stay)
Referrals (If no beds are available at HSHS, staff will make referrals to other shelters upon request)
Case Management (The Resource Advocacy program provides case-management to guests to help them connect with social services in the Boston/Cambridge area)
Programming (Various partners including healthcare and music come into the space to assist guests)
Service hours:7pm to 8am, except on Saturday mornings when the shelter remains open until 9am
Other Locations:Office Address:
Phillips Brooks House Association
1 Harvard Yard
Cambridge, MA 02138
Self-referral
Dry shelter – no drugs, no alcohol
Transportation Google MapsHarvest on Vine offers a variety of items each distribution. The families they serve receive a week’s worth of food, twice a month.
Service hours:Food distributions take place on the second Saturday at 10am, and the last Tuesday of each month at 2pm.
Requirements & Restrictions:Proof of residence
Transportation Google MapsOpen Door Soup Kitchen & St. Bridget’s Food Pantry
Open Door Dinner: Mondays 6 - 7pm
Transportation Google MapsThis is a food service and relief project led by the Korean Church of Cambridge. Food preparation is made through the cooperation of nonprofit organizations including Greater Boston Foodbank, donations from nearby stores, and the church’s charitable donation budget. For the past 35 years, the Loaves and Fishes wheat program has consistently served 80 to 160 people every Saturday afternoon, serving as a place of service where you can enjoy warm food with dignity rather than just filling your stomach. You can find up-to-date information on their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Loaves-and-Fishes-Meal-Program-136515539846968/.
Transportation Google Maps
The Margaret Fuller Neighborhood House provides integrated services to individuals and families to empower them to overcome challenges, reach their potential and achieve their goals.
They fulfill this mission by providing the following programming:
Depends on program, check website.
Languages: English with translation software assistance if needed. Transportation Google MapsProject Manna is the Massachusetts Avenue Baptist Church’s outreach to the displaced and the community. Under the direction of Rev. Brenda A. Brown, Executive Director, nutritional assistance is provided to enhance the quality of life and decrease the incidence of hunger for low-income families and individuals.
The meals program includes an onsite community dinner that is held on both Thanksgiving and Christmas. With the help of generous donors gifts are also provided at the Christmas dinner that includes toiletry baskets, warm clothing and blankets, as well as winter coats. In addition to its meals program Project Manna operates a food pantry to provide assistance, aimed at increasing the nutritional competency of needy families in our community.
Once per month outreach to the community also includes the Epic Program, a food pantry that feeds an average of 100 families per month. Notifications for upcoming food pantries and Project Manna related events can be found on this page.
Service hours:
Mondays only 1:30pm - 2:30pm (Due to COVID-19 Precautions Temporary hours of Operation are in Place. Meals are served on a takeout basis only).
Transportation Google MapsThe Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA) assists and empowers low-income individuals and families to meet their basic needs, improve their quality of life, and achieve long-term economic self-sufficiency. DTA serves one in eight residents of the Commonwealth with direct economic assistance (cash benefits) and food assistance (SNAP benefits), as well as workforce training opportunities
In addition to food and cash benefits, DTA offers other services to help you meet your basic needs and achieve economic mobility.
Services include:
DTA Assistance Line: Mon. - Fri. 8:15am - 4:45pm
Other Locations:You can find locations at https://www.mass.gov/orgs/department-of-transitional-assistance/locations?_page=2#
Transportation Google MapsServices
In addition, Seniors enjoy a number of programs including a drop-in senior center, health, exercise, and wellness classes, social activities, discounted taxi vouchers, and a supermarket shuttle.
They provide hot meals on Mondays and Fridays, as well as snacks 3 times a week, primarily for seniors, people who are disabled or homeless.
Additionally, they offer a range of educational presentations; job readiness programs; assistance with your search for affordable housing; assistance with your health insurance application (Medicare Part B); translation and interpretation services in Italian, Mandarin, and Turkish, and notary services.
During the holidays, they can provide holiday meals, gifts, and participation in their Adopt-a-Family program.
Service hours:Mon-Fri 9am - 5pm
Other Locations:Boston Public Library, West End Branch
151 Cambridge St.
Boston, MA 02114
617-523-8125
Low income residents of Boston for most programs. Bring I.D. and proof of income for your first visit.
Languages: English, Spanish, Italian, Chinese, Turkish Transportation Google MapsThe Wednesday Night Supper Club
Free hot meals served every Wednesday at 6pm.
Emergency Food Pantry
Open every non-holiday Tuesday afternoon, 1:30pm-3pm, for those with an immediate, critical need for food. If there are 5 Tuesdays in a month, the food pantry is closed on the 5th Tuesday. The food pantry is located on the first floor, two doors down from the reception area. One visit for one grocery bag a month is the operating guideline.
See above
Requirements & Restrictions:Photo ID with a Boston-vicinity area address. One visit for one grocery bag a month is the operating guideline.
Transportation Google MapsThe mission of Rosie’s Place is to provide a safe and nurturing environment for poor and homeless women to maintain their dignity, seek opportunity, and find security in their lives.
Service hours:
Hours vary by program
Requirements & Restrictions:Women and anyone who self-identifies as a woman.
Target population: homeless and low-income women
Solutions at Work is dedicated to breaking the cycle of poverty and homelessness by providing individuals and families with resources and opportunities to strengthen their self-confidence, achieve self-sufficiency, and participate in helping others.
Service hours:
Office open by appointment only Tuesday-Thursday 11am-3pm.
Requirements & Restrictions:Masks required
Transportation Google MapsThe mission of the Somerville Homeless Coalition is to provide homeless and nearly homeless individuals and families with individualized supportive services and tailored housing solutions with the goal of obtaining and maintaining affordable housing.
Programs
M - F: 9am - 5pm
Languages: English, SpanishSince 1984, St. Francis House has offered basic care and services that make the difference between hope and despair, and often between life and death.
Programs
Hours vary depending on program. Call or visit website for details.
Languages: English, SpanishHelping Hand Food Pantry operates on the second Saturday of each month from 9:30am-12:30pm at the Fresh Pond Apartments, 364 Rindge Avenue, offering a wide variety of fresh, frozen, and packaged grocery items to those in need of them.
In the new age of COVID-19, they have instituted new safety procedures and now provide each guest with individual bags of produce and boxes of dry goods rather than inviting guests in to browse.
Donations of unexpired canned and packaged food goods and cleaning supplies (e.g., hand sanitizer) can be dropped off at their location. Drop-off hours are on the second Friday of each month from 10am-12pm and the second Saturday of each month from 7:30-9:30am.
Service hours:9:30am-12:30pm on the second Saturday of each month
Languages: SpanishThe EC provides a safe place for individuals to:
The EC spaces offers guests access to:
The Weekend Emergency Food Pantry program offered by Church of the Covenant provides free groceries and other necessities to Boston residents in urgent need. It operates out of the back entry at Church of the Covenant. The building is located at the corner of Berkeley and Newbury Streets in Boston’s Back Bay and the food pantry entry is down the alley off of Berkeley Street.
Service hours:Sat & Sun: 10am - 12pm
Requirements & Restrictions:People seeking assistance should bring photo identification. Visits are limited to once per month.
Healthy meals, essentials, and one-on-one assistance from a unique daytime shelter and advocacy center in Boston dedicated to helping women in need.
A nutritious breakfast and lunch, seasonal gear, toiletries, undergarments, feminine hygiene products and other basic necessities are always available at their 67 Newbury St. location. Advocates provide individualized services to guests, and free medical services are available from Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program.
Mon-Sat 7:00AM-2:00PM
Requirements & Restrictions:Anyone that identifies as a woman is welcome and their children (though services are for adult women only).