August 27, 2025 | Uncategorized,

Inside The Greater Boston Food Bank

In preparation for Kristina Wong, #FoodBankInfluencer (Sept 19 – 21), here is a look at our own local food bank, The Greater Boston Food Bank.

Located off I-93 with a sign visible from the city itself, The Greater Boston Food Bank is New England’s largest hunger-relief organization, and its impact is hard to overstate. Every year, the organization distributes more than 100 million pounds of food—equivalent to 87 million meals—through a network of 600 food pantries, meal programs, and health centers across 190 cities and towns in Eastern Massachusetts. Each month, more than 600,000 consumers rely on its support.

Since 2019, the percentage of residents reporting food insecurity has nearly doubled, with more families skipping meals or choosing cheaper, less nutritious food. The Greater Boston Food Bank not only works to meet this urgent demand, but also advocates for long-term solutions so that everyone in our community has access to quality, nourishing food. The organization also provides SNAP (Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program) application assistance, uses free Mobile Markets for isolated areas and employs dietitians that oversee The Greater Boston Food Bank’s nutrition initiatives. It also works on advancing policies that tackle the hunger crisis.

Last year, The Greater Boston Food Bank gave $920,000 to various hunger relief organizations in Eastern Massachusetts and supported over 1,000 households with SNAP applications. It also created a 9,800 square foot commercial fridge that can hold 8-10 million pounds of fresh produce, which makes up 29% of food The Greater Boston Food Bank distributes.

The Greater Boston Food Bank differs from food pantries as it is a large-scale organization that collects, stores, and distributes food to local partners. Food pantries are the community-based sites, often within neighborhoods, schools, or churches, where people can directly receive that food. Together, they form a network that makes hunger relief possible.

You can learn more about The Greater Boston Food Bank at gbfb.org, make a contribution through their Giving Page, join one of the donor groups, or sign up to volunteer. For anyone seeking assistance, the Agency Partner Locator is a direct way to find nearby food pantries and programs.