Charitable food distribution in lower Essex County increased by over 8% (625,000 meals) in the past year, but it’s still not enough to meet the growing demand.
In response, The Greater Boston Food Bank, the largest hunger-relief organization in New England, has awarded a $2 million grant to The Salem Pantry to lease a 20,000-square-foot warehouse in Salem, strategically located on the borders of Lynn and Peabody, to better serve the surrounding communities. This grant is made possible by state funds dedicated to creating a networked infrastructure to combat rising rates of food insecurity.
The warehouse will increase The Salem Pantry’s food storage capacity by five times, providing warehouse space, cold storage, and distribution infrastructure for up to 20 additional emergency food distribution partners in lower Essex County. The warehouse will enable GBFB to expand the amount of fresh, healthy food available to smaller food pantries in the area by providing cold storage and freezer space.
In addition, the facility will contribute to the state’s sustainability goals by supporting local access thereby reducing the number of miles driven by local food pantry trucks to pick up the food orders at the GBFB warehouse in Boston. This new warehouse will complement the work of the Seacoast Regional Food Hub in Salisbury, which serves GBFB partners in the Lower Merrimack Valley and northern Essex County.
“The immediate need for food assistance continued to grow across Eastern Massachusetts, accelerated by federal nutrition program cuts and the high cost of living here in the Commonwealth,” said Catherine D’Amato, president and CEO of GBFB. “The Salem Pantry has long been one of our strategic partners. This investment will enhance the capacity not only in Salem, but at 20 additional GBFB Agency Partners in the area, creating a more durable food system to ensure access to healthy food for more neighbors during a time of growing need.”
In addition to the GBFB grant, The Salem Pantry is preparing the launch of a fundraising campaign that will ensure the project can support the region’s growing need for food. In 2024, The Salem Pantry served more than 31,500 individuals, including one in five Salem households, over 16,700 Lynn residents, and households from every community across southern Essex County.
“We are incredibly grateful and energized by this investment from The Great Boston Food Bank,” said Robyn Burns, executive director of The Salem Pantry. “This support will unlock new possibilities not only for our organization, but most importantly, for the people of Essex County. We recognize that ensuring access to nutritious food for our neighbors requires strong collaboration among the many dedicated organizations across the North Shore. This project will serve as a vital resource, strengthening the food security safety net throughout the region.”
This grant will support capacity-building upgrades during a time of widespread food insecurity, a soaring cost of living, and tremendous strain on the charitable food system. As confirmed in GBFB’s Fifth Annual Statewide Food Access Report: The Cost of Hunger in Massachusetts, conducted in collaboration with Mass General Brigham, approximately 2 million adults in Massachusetts — one in three people — faced food insecurity in 2024, and 24% faced very low food security. This is further exacerbated by recent federal cuts to important hunger-relief programs like SNAP, which, once implemented, will put approximately 175,000 Massachusetts residents at risk of losing benefits.
Since 2013, through a blend of state funding and philanthropy, GFBF’s Community Investment Grant program has awarded nearly $8 million in financial assistance to partner agencies that serve all 190 towns and cities in Eastern Massachusetts. The funds empower GBFB’s partners to expand their services, staff, capacity, and food supply to deliver more nutritious meals to those facing food insecurity.
To learn more about GBFB’s Community Investment Grant Program and previous and current Transportation Grant recipients, visit gbfb.org/our-impact/community-investment-grants/.
