Cambridge Resident Receives Unsung Heroine Award

FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: State Representative Marjorie Decker, Program Director at Food For Free and Founder of Food For Free’s Cambridge Weekend Backpack Program, Alanna Mallon and State Representative Tim Toomey. Decker and Toomey nominated Mallon for the Unsung Heroine Award.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. | Cambridge resident, Alanna Mallon, program director at Food For Free and founder of the nonprofit’s Cambridge Weekend Backpack Program (CWBP), was recently awarded the Unsung Heroine award.

Each year, women who make outstanding contributions to their organizations and communities are nominated by state legislators as a means of recognizing women for their valuable community contributions. These are women who use their time, talent and enthusiasm to enrich the lives of others and make a difference in their neighborhoods, cities and towns. They are mentors, volunteers and innovators who do what needs to be done without expectations of recognition or gratitude.

Mallon fits the bill on all fronts. In January 2016, she joined Food For Free as its Program Director coinciding with the adoption of the Cambridge Weekend Backpack Program (CWBP). In 2012, after hearing a story on NPR that students in her children’s elementary school were victims of food insecurity, she was inspired to create change and founded the CWBP.

The CWBP discreetly sends meals home on Fridays to Cambridge Public School students whose primary source of nutrition is the school cafeteria. The healthy meals are packed in the students’ backpacks, by more than 100 volunteers, ensuring that students are better prepared to learn the following week. They include two breakfasts, two lunches, milk, and fresh fruit for every child in the family.

With the full power of Food For Free behind it, the CWBP plans to expand to reach all students in elementary and preschools in Cambridge in 2016. Currently, the program serves 12 elementary schools and four middle schools. Food For Free, one of the nation’s first food rescue programs, is a local nonprofit that feeds more than 25,000 families annually in Greater Boston and beyond. In 2015, Food For Free rescued more than 1.7 million pounds of fresh, healthy food, which translated into over 1.3 million meals. Through a combination of food rescue, farming, and transportation programs, Food For Free’s year-round services give people access to fresh fruits and vegetables, which are typically lacking from the diets of low-income individuals and families.

Mallon continues to oversee and grow the program while creating new partnerships with different school districts in need under the Food For Free umbrella. Previous to her role at Food For Free, Mallon served as the Education Liaison at Cambridge City Hall, Office of the Mayor.

“It’s an honor to be among the many women across the Commonwealth that are inspiring change and making a difference in communities across the state of Massachusetts,” says Mallon. “I am so grateful to Representatives Decker and Toomey not only for nominating me for this award, but for their support of the Cambridge Weekend Backpack Program and their unwavering commitment to the low income families in our community.”

For more information about Food For Free, visit FoodForFree.org or call, (617) 868-2900. For additional information about the Cambridge Weekend Backpack Program, please visit Cambridgeweekendbackpack.com.

About Food For Free

Food For Free currently feeds more than 25,000 families annually in Greater Boston and beyond through a combination of food rescue, farming, and transportation programs. Its mission is to provide individuals and families with access to nutrient rich produce, which is typically lacking from the diets of low-income individuals and families. For more information about Food For Free, visit FoodForFree.org or call,

(617) 868-2900.

About the Cambridge Weekend Backpack Program

The Cambridge Weekend Backpack Program (CWBP) was developed to ensure food security for students in the City of Cambridge. Founded during the 2012-2013 school year, the program spearheaded by founding director, Alanna Mallon, in cooperation with parent volunteers and school administrators, provides students in the Cambridge public school system the proper nutrition needed to sustain them while school is not in session. For additional information about the Cambridge Weekend Backpack Program, please visit Cambridgeweekendbackpack.com.

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