Food For Free

At Food For Free we believe everyone should have access to healthy, delicious food. Our many programs work to fight hunger in our communities: Food Rescue and Distribution We rescue fresh food—food that might otherwise be discarded—and distributes it to over 100 programs in 11 Greater Boston cities distributing over 2 million pounds each year. School-based Food Programs We have several programs tailored to the needs of kids and their parents. These include the Cambridge Weekend Backpack Program, which sends a weekend’s worth of food home with students who have been identified by their schools as at-risk for hunger; four free afterschool “markets”; Falcons’ Food Project, a pantry at Cambridge Rindge and Latin High School; and Market in the Park, which operates in the summer. Home Delivery Since 2001, Food For Free has delivered food to low-income Cambridge residents who are unable to access food pantries due to disability or chronic illness. We offer twice-monthly deliveries of food, including fresh vegetables and fruit, to 110-120 clients each month. Family Meals Using surplus foods rescued from university dining halls and other sources, Family Meals creates heat-and-eat meals for families sheltered in hotels and others who face barriers to cooking for themselves. Transportation Partnership with the Greater Boston Food Bank In 2010, the Greater Boston Food Bank asked Food For Free to pick up food orders for several food programs that lacked their own transportation. We now pick up Greater Boston Food Bank orders for 13 food programs, 11 of which are in Cambridge. In 2015, The Transportation Partnership delivered 1 million pounds of food. Field of Greens Hosted by Lindentree Farm, Field of Greens grows vegetables for distribution to local food programs and serves as an education and outreach program for volunteer groups from that want to learn about hunger and the local food-system.