MARBLEHEAD — Cambridge-based Food for Free is partnering with the Marblehead Community Charter Public School to provide students with reliable access to fresh and nutritious food through the nonprofit’s Just Eats grocery box program, which is aimed at low-income families in the communities of Marblehead, Lynn, Nahant, Peabody, Salem and Beverly that have students attending the charter school.
The program delivers about 42 boxes a week to the Marblehead Community Charter Public School, where families can load the boxes into their cars from the back of the building.
Each box includes about 25 pounds of produce and pantry staples such as rice, beans or lentils, potatoes, onions, carrots, apples, oranges, kale and other produce options.
Marblehead Community Charter School Director of Food Services Danette Russo said she wanted to help the students and families in the community after the U.S. Department of Agriculture limited its food distribution through its Farmers to Families food box program, which she said affected many families. She said the program has been a godsend and the feedback from families so far has been amazing.
“This is wonderful, what Food For Free has done,” she said. “Stepping up and helping these communities with the Just Eats program, when the current distributors that were awarded the USDA bids would not.”
The Just Eats program produces grab-and-go boxes; Russo said they’ve been the preferred method of food distribution during the COVID-19 pandemic, keeping workers, volunteers and pantry participants safe and distanced.
Food for Free Marketing Manager Amanda Trombley said the nonprofit started the Just Eats program because they saw the need for food among students, as food insecurity drastically rose during the pandemic.
She said the Food For Free’s Just Eats grocery box program was created to be more in sync with what food pantries know their communities want and need.
“We decided to start our own grocery box program that’s less perishable. It’s mainly fresh produce and pantry staples,” Trombley said. “For families that are facing food insecurity, produce is one of the top things that they want because it can be so expensive to buy.”
Trombley said Food For Free is now delivering more than 3,000 boxes weekly to food pantries and other community organizations throughout Greater Boston and beyond.
Marblehead Community Charter School Principal Peter Cohen said the partnership provides a lifeline for families, saying that it is a community school because they want to be a part of the community.
“What the pandemic has exposed is inequities that exist in our region, both in terms of access from everything from WiFi and technology to food insecurity issues,” said Cohen. “Food insecurities issues were around pre-pandemic. It’s just that now it really came to light, so any role that we can play is so positive for us and it’s really in line with our mission as a school.”
Cohen said the partnership also sends a message to students that food insecurity is a serious issue and shows them that they can do something to help the community combat it.
“It’s very important for our students to have access to healthy foods so they can thrive in class and beyond,” said Cohen. “We are pleased to partner with Food For Free to help support our students and their families especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Food For Free Executive Director Sasha Purpura said the pandemic is stretching the emergency food system to a breaking point, explaining that one in five children in eastern Massachusetts is now facing food insecurity.
“Children are especially vulnerable to food insecurity,” she said. “Childhood hunger is linked to negative health outcomes and disparities that can persist into adulthood. Our Just Eats grocery boxes are filled with fresh produce and wholesome pantry staples like rice and beans.
“Not only are these the foods that our community partners request, but they also are more culturally appropriate to a wider group of people. We’re thrilled to expand the program and support the Marblehead Community Charter Public School’s students and their families.”
Cohen said they plan to continue this partnership for as long as they can.
“This, to me, is like the start of something that we can build on, so we really want to make sure that community service is a piece of our programming here for all grade levels,” Cohen said. “The next step for us, as we start to get all of the students back in-person and start looking ahead to next year, is what else can we do to have some students directly involved and bringing awareness to this issue and helping out the community?”
Russo said the school eventually hopes to acquire a van so they can drive around and deliver food to more families throughout the community.
Allysha Dunnigan can be reached at [email protected]