Patch Food Drive In Norfolk County: Give To Feeding America

BRAINTREE, MA — Feeding America, the nation’s largest hunger relief organization, predicted this would happen as millions of Americans lost their jobs, their paychecks and even their businesses because of the coronavirus pandemic: Hunger is an urgent problem for almost 81,000 people in Norfolk County.

You can help. Patch and Feeding America teamed last summer to address the growing hunger crisis in America, connecting readers with the organization’s 200 member food banks that serve 60,000 food pantries and meal programs, and providing an easy way to donate money to help their neighbors.

Now through Dec. 31, we’re encouraging readers to make a tax-deductible contribution to Feeding America in the Patch Holiday Food Drive. Every $1 given to the organization buys 10 meals.

Local resources include:

Avon
Avon Baptist Church
Food Pantry
www.avonbaptistchurch.org
119 North Main Street
Avon, MA 02322
508-583-8076

Bellingham

St. Blaise Church ~ Loaves & Fishes Food Pantry

www.saintblaise.org

1158 South Main Street
Bellingham, MA 02019

Braintree
Braintree Community
Food Pantry
http://www.braintreefoodpantry...14 Storrs Ave, #2
Braintree, MA 02184
781-277-1609

Marge Crispin Center

Braintree Holiday/Friends, Inc.

http://www.margecrispincenter....

74 Pond Street
Braintree, MA 02184

Brookline
St. Paul’s Church
Brookline Food Pantry
www.stpaulsbrookline.org
15 Saint Paul Street & 55A Egmont Street
Brookline, MA 02446
617-566-4953

Canton
Canton Food Pantry
http://www.town.canton.ma.us/1...

960R Washington Street
Canton, MA 02021
781-821-8062

Cohasset
St. Anthony's Food Pantry
185 S. Main Street
Cohasset, MA 02025
781-383-0219

Dedham
St. John’s Church ~ Dedham Food Pantry
Food Pantry
www.dedhamfoodpantry.org
Dedham Plaza
600 Washington Street
Dedham, MA 02026
781-320-9442

Foxboro
Foxboro Food Pantry
www.foxborofoodpantry.com
35 Neponset Avenue
Foxboro, MA 02035
508-543-5235

Franklin
Franklin Food Pantry
www.franklinfoodpantry.org
43 West Central Street
Franklin, MA 02038
508-528-3115

Holbrook
Holbrook Ecumenical
Food Pantry
322 South Franklin Street
Holbrook, MA 02343
781-767-4656

Medfield
United Church of Christ
Food Cupboard
www.medfieldfoodcupboard.com
496 Main Street
Medfield, MA 02052
508-359-4958

Medway
Medway Village Church
Food Pantry
http://medwayvillage.org/food-...

170 Village Street

Medway, MA 02053
508-533-6401

Metrowest Region
A Place To Turn
https://www.aplacetoturn-natic...

99 Hartford Street
Natick, MA 01760
508-655-8868

Millis
Millis Ecumenical Food Pantry
www.millisucc.org
142 Exchange Street
Millis, MA 02054
508-376-5034

Milton
Milton Community Food Pantry
http://miltonfoodpantry.org
c/o Parkway Methodists Church
158 Blue Hills Parkway
Milton, MA 02186
617-696-0221

Needham
Needham Community Council
http://www.needhamcommunitycou...

570 HiIlside Ave
Needham, MA 02494
781-444-2415 x1050

Norfolk
Emmanuel Baptist Church Norfolk Food Pantry
www.emmanuelbaptistchurch.org
63 Rockwood Road
Norfolk, MA 02056
508-528-5862

Norwood
The Ecumenical Community
Food Pantry of Norwood
http://norwoodpantry.org/
150 Chapel Street
Norwood, MA 02062
781-291-3663

Plainville
United Methodist Church
Living Bread Food Pantry
www.plainvilleumc.net
16 E. Bacon Street
Plainville, MA 02762
508-695-9587

Quincy
>Quincy Community Action Programs, Inc.
Emergency Food Center
www.qcap.org
1 Copeland Street
Quincy, MA 02169
617-471-0796

>Interfaith Social Services

The Pantry Shelf
http://www.interfaithsocialser...

105 Adams Street
Quincy, MA 02169
617-773-6203

>Quincy Crisis Center
http://www.sangercenter.org/Qu...

282 Billings Road
Quincy, MA 02170
617-847-6967, 617-471-7075

>Germantown Neighborhood Center - YMCA
http://www.ssymca.org/germanto...

366 Palmer Street
Quincy, MA 02169
617-376-1384

>Salvation Army
Quincy Temple Food Pantry
6 Baxter Street
Quincy, MA 02169
617-472-2345

Randolph
Friendly Food Pantry
http://www.foodpantries.org/ci...

1 Turner Lane
Randolph, MA 02368
339-987-5577

Sharon
Hessco
http://hessco.org
1 Merchant Street
Sharon, MA 02067
781-784-4944

Stoughton
St. Anthony's Free Market
http://stoughtoncatholic.org/s...

2 Park Avenue
Stoughton, MA 02072
781-344-6390

Walpole
Walpole Community Food Pantry
http://www.walpolecommunityfoo...

1303 Washington Street
Walpole, MA 02081
508-668-0106

Wellesley
Wellesley Food Pantry
www.wellesleyfoodpantry.org
207 Washington Street
Wellesley, MA 02481
781-235-1188

Westwood
Westwood Food Pantry
http://www.westwoodfoodpantry....

60 Nahatan Street
Westwood, MA 02090
781-329-8799

Weymouth
Weymouth Food Pantry
www.weymouthfoodpantry.org
1203 Commercial Street
Weymouth, MA 02189
781-331-7682

Wrentham
Wrentham Food Pantry
http://www.wrentham.ma.us/wren...

508-384-3110

Feeding America predicted last summer that 50 million people, including 17 million children, could face hunger by year’s end because of the pandemic. Feeding America projects the food insecurity rate in Norfolk County will rise to 11.3 percent in 2020, up from 6.2 percent in 2018.

At the Marge Crispin Center pantry in Braintree, there have been more people coming in for help than in previous years, said Sunny Shaw, a member of the pantry's board of directors.

"We're seeing an uptick in the number of deliveries and people coming to the center," Shaw said. "Unemployment is running out for some people, and some people aren't able to get to back work."

Shaw also mentioned other ways people can help across the county, including donating gift cards or paper goods like toilet paper and napkins if people don't have time to go grocery shopping.

Feeding America says that 80 percent of its food banks — or 4 in 5 — are serving more people than they were at the same time last year. With the pandemic worsening during the holiday season, many people who never before worried about how they’d pay for a holiday meal are turning to food banks for the first time.

From the beginning of the pandemic in March, Feeding America distributed 4.2 billion meals — enough to provide every U.S. resident with breakfast, lunch and dinner for just over four days.

In the first four months of the pandemic, 4 in 10 people were first-time visitors to food banks, according to Feeding America.

Patch has partnered with Feeding America to help raise awareness on behalf of the millions of Americans facing hunger. Feeding America, which supports 200 food banks across the country, estimates that in 2020, more than 50 million Americans will not have enough nutritious food to eat due to the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. This is a Patch social good project; Feeding America receives 100 percent of donations. Find out how you can donate in your community or find a food pantry near you.