American Red Cross of Massachusetts Bay Food Pantry

I’ve volunteered here 3 or 4 times and they seem to be a very well-​run operation that serves a very large number of people. They pack a lot of produce and the staff are very friendly.

Wow! I had a GREAT volunteer experience here. I went on a Wednesday morning from 8:30a-12 with Boston Cares. It’s (the Red Cross Food Pantry) one of the most efficiently run, friendly, «helping» organizations I’ve seen. They get the people in and out QUICKLY, and with bags of NICE, QUALITY foods, not just some old beat up cans and a bag of beans.
The Red Cross Staff is wonderful, and they will have something for you to do– be it helping to distribute bags of groceries, assisting with line control, packing bags, etc. They begin ON TIME, and end ON TIME
If you need assistance, this is also a GREAT place to come. Not a lot of hassle, just basic stuff to be sure you need services, you’re treated with friendliness and dignity, and as mentioned, you don’t get crapola, you get GOOD, healthy food. In order to feed as many people as possible, you can only come once a month.
5 STARS! BRAVO, Red Cross!

I’ve been volunteering here for a little over a month now, and it’s really my favorite organization. Food distribution is usually on Wednesdays and Saturdays, although I’m not certain if they alternate Saturdays. Volunteers are needed to help pack the fresh produce bags, which usually begins around 8AM, and they distribute the bags of food from 9AM-​12PM. Some volunteers will help with distribution, and others will prepare the bags of food («wet» bags, «dry» bags, and canned goods). I absolutely adore the Red Cross employees! They are wonderful, knowledgeable, and extremely appreciative of volunteers. The last Wednesday that I was there, we served over 400 families in 3 hours! They need all the help they can get, and they will never pressure you to make any future commitments with them. David is the Associate Director of Food Assistance, and he really makes you feel like you belong there. Overall, this is an excellent opportunity for any person who’d like to give something to the community.

If you’re looking to work hard as a volunteer, the American Red Cross Food Pantry is the place. Especially on days when they’re distributing food to clients.
I was here on a Wednesday morning. Including the other group of volunteers (that my group didn’t know) I’d say there were about 25 of us. So if you’re looking for a big group activity, distribution day is your ticket. And for the the 4ish hours that we were there, I think we were busy about 98% of the time. which for those frequent volunteers out there. isn’t always the case on site.
Just a little background, the food pantry is in Roxbury. Easily reachable by T or tons of buses. From their website, it says their clients include «senior citizen immigrants, single parents, families in transition, low-​income families, homeless individuals, and those living with HIV.»
Those that qualify can come in for groceries once a month if they meet the USDA guidelines. They must present an ID for each member of the household. Being curious, I checked the USDA website and interestingly enough, post college and pre — full time job I could have qualified for food assistance. Hmm.
We arrived around 8 AM and the day started off with packing «wet bags». Those coming in for food get a wet bag (veggies/​salad/​etc.), a dry bag (cereal/​pasta/​Slim Jims/​etc), a can bag (more veggies/​tomato sauce/​etc), and a protein (that day it was beef and whole turkeys for families of 2 or more). Families with babies may also qualify for baby food but everyone pretty much gets the same thing. Later on, I was in the distributing line. Clients check in to the computer and then they come over with a laminated card stating how many family members they have. So of course, the more family members. the more bags. It can get a bit hectic and it takes some coordination but you get the hang of it. After 12PM, is lock down. Things get put away and the place gets a good sweeping.
It was a very interesting experience. The people walking in didn’t seem like they needed «assistance». It was generally a diverse population with mostly minorities but they weren’t dressed in a certain way, a few had cars, and one guy was listening to an iPod. One of the coordinators said that people would come in and say that they just lost their job earlier that week or this little bit of groceries is what gets them by. Many come every month without fail. In these difficult times, I can definitely see how a few days of groceries can make all the difference. Especially for a family. The coordinators said they saw a record number of people this Thanksgiving. We actually served 400 people that day (and that doesn’t include the 1−9+ family members they were picking up food for).
So as you can see, every hour of your time can make a world of difference. You can volunteer by yourself or with a group. OR you can run a food drive at your school or job. See the website for details and contacts.