FIRST PARISH NEWBURY FOOD PANTRY

Description

The First Parish Newbury Food Pantry is 100% volunteer organized and operated. Our mission is two-fold: 1) to reduce hunger and 2) to provide opportunities for community residents to help their neighbors. With this model we have grown from our start in December 2015 in the library of the First Parish Church Newbury to serving 500+ guests each Friday. The Pantry provides, fresh produce, frozen meats, bread, canned goods, personal care items, household cleaning products and pet food to al in need. Our model of neighbors helping neighbors helps build connections to people in need who are too embarrassed to ask for help.

About half our guests are from Newburyport and another 25% are from Newbury, with the remainder coming from surrounding towns, including Rowley, Ipswich, West Newbury, Georgetown, and Salisbury. Seniors comprise almost half of the guests we serve. Guests place their orders online choosing from among about 250 items each week. We deliver 60% of our orders each week and make weekly calls to take the orders of 120 people who are uncomfortable with technology.

Here is what our guests say about the work of our volunteers:

"What it does for me, I just can’t say enough. It augments my income so I can eat well. Being able to eat well at 76 is a gift. You make it so....I don’t feel guilty. It is hard taking rather than giving. I volunteered for 50 years and I keep having to tell myself, "it is my turn." June 2022