LYNN — The Open Door, a community resource center that helps serve more than 10 communities, is also keen on feeding the residents of Lynn.
Aside from serving people in Manchester-by-the-Sea, Gloucester, Rockport, Ipswich, Topsfield, Wenham, Boxford and Rowley, the organization also has two mobile markets geared toward serving the communities of Lynn and Danvers as a part of their Mobile Market program.
According to the director of advocacy and development, Sarah Grow, the organization has seen an increasing need for services in the area. Grow explained that the Mobile Markets in the area are centered around the North Shore Community College campuses.
Students and community members can find the service twice a month, on the second and fourth Wednesday of each month, at 300 Broad St. from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Grow said that during a previous study, it was determined that roughly 53% of students in the area find themselves struggling with meals financially. “A lot of students have trouble, and some have families they have to support, too, so we have seen an increasing need,” Grow said.
Grow mentioned the organization saw a 20% increase in demand for their services since the last year, with a 30% increase seen from 2023-24.
“Because of the increased needs, we expanded our Mobile Market to two times a month,” Grow said.
The organization’s goal is to alleviate the impact of hunger in the surrounding communities. “We use practical strategies to connect people to good food, to advocate on behalf of those in need, and to engage others in the work of building food security,” the mission statement on its website said. The organization began in 1978 and has continued to advocate for people in need.
The organization’s Fact Sheet from 2024, which can be found on the group’s website, details the impact it’s made in just one year. It had a whopping number of 164,859 meals prepared in-house throughout 2024. It served 11,893 people (or 5,320 households), with another 33,538 meals delivered.
According to the 2024 Fact Sheet, the Mobile Markets served 2,076 people throughout 2024, with 169,677 pounds of food being used to serve community members.
