food donation

[mamajoan.livejournal.com]

My choir has a moderate amount (2 paper grocery bags stuffed to the gills) of food that we'd like to donate somewhere. This is all stuff that was brought to rehearsals for breaktime, so it's snacky stuff like crackers, chips, cookies, etc. (these bags only contain unopened packages, the opened stuff having been otherwise dealt with). Is there some food pantry, homeless shelter, etc., that would take this stuff as a donation? I can google but there's a bewildering array of hits for "somerville food pantry" (and similar terms) and it's hard to figure out from teh interwebz which places accept which kinds of donations.

Thanks in advance!

Comments

[ron_newman]

I suggest asking the Somerville Homeless Coalition if they can use the food.

How to donate un-opened food to the SHC

[miss-chance.livejournal.com]

Go to the church on the corner of College Ave. and Chapel Streets. Head up Chapel Street to the side entrance of the church. There is a small gothic-arch-style door there, with a doorbell that is labeled--x number of rings to reach y department. Ring for the shelter and you can give your food to the people who answer.

Re: How to donate un-opened food to the SHC

[miss-chance.livejournal.com]

ps. Since this is a) a question that comes up frequently, and b) something that I doubt people realize is so easy to do, I wonder if there's a handy place we can put it, so it's easily found. Or, I suppose, I could just post ocassional reminder posts. Arts groups I'm involved with drop off left-overs after exhibit openings all the time.

Re: How to donate un-opened food to the SHC

[mamajoan.livejournal.com]

The SHC website would be a great place to post that info, for one!

Re: How to donate un-opened food to the SHC

[miss-chance.livejournal.com]

Yeah. The fact that they don't makes me wonder if they're afraid they'll get buried in half-eaten sandwiches, or if they just don't happen to mention it. It seems like an odd thing to keep secret, but maybe there are laws governing food donations, and dropping off casually like this slips behind these laws? dunno, forget I mentioned it. ;-)

[yendi]

Stamp Out Hunger is this Saturday, which may be the easiest place to send the food.

[tamalinn.livejournal.com]

Youth on Fire, a drop-in center for adolescents in Harvard Square, always puts out snack food for the members. They would be glad to have it.

[benign-cremator.livejournal.com]

My roommate works for 'Food for Free', which only deal with fresh food, so they can not take this. However, she suggested other options in the area. In particular, either the CEOC pantry, at 11 Inman St. (same building as
Food For Free, different organization) or else maybe the St James
pantry, 1991 Mass Ave, corner of Beech St.

http://www.ceoccambridge.org
http://www.stjames-cambridge.org/helpinghand

[turil.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I use the St. James pantry occasionally, and they are right in the area, and are probably happy to take donations. If not, the Saint Patrick's Shelter for woman (where I was for 7 months) at the Catholic Charities building at 270 Washington Street in Union Square is pretty happy to get snacks and such. Call at night, though, after 6 maybe, when the cool night staff folks are around. (The day staff and admin people are, um, sort of unpleasant and disagreeable sometimes...) Or call on Saturday night or Sunday during the day, as the coolest person works that shift. 617-628-3015

SHC

[colorgarden.livejournal.com]

I work for the SHC and, sure, we'd love those bags of food! Please call us first at (617) 623-6111 and let us know that you're dropping them off. We have a small pantry room in our offices at One Davis Square and an actual food pantry called Project SOUP in East Somerville.

Miss Chance, the shelter you're talking about is the SHC Adult Shelter. You can bring food there but we'd prefer that you bring it to Project SOUP or our pantry room (and please call first).

I am *this* close to putting up a "Volunteer" webpage that will include information on food drives and food donations! Any day now...

Re: SHC

[ron_newman]

Please do! That will be very helpful, and I can then link to it from the davis_square profile page.