Salem Food Pantry Honored For Volunteer Services

SALEM, MA — The Salem Pantry was recently honored with a prestigious designation as it was part of a small percentage of nonprofit organizations across the country certified as a "Service Enterprise" by Al!ve and Points of Life.

Al!ve and Points of Light honors organizations for their use of volunteers and their skills to address community needs.

"We are excited to be selected as a Service Enterprise organization," Salem Pantry Executive Director Robyn Burns said. "The Salem Pantry's volunteers are key to our success and Service Enterprise will allow us to grow and sustain our programs to better engage and support volunteers.

"We are grateful to our partners at the Massachusetts Service Alliance, Al!ve and Points of Light for facilitating this program and connecting us to many important peer organizations."

With this certification, the Salem Pantry joins a prestigious group of non-profit organizations. Service Enterprises are among the top 11 percent of nonprofits in the country in volunteer engagement and organizational performance.

The Salem Pantry works collaboratively to empower local and regional communities by ensuring convenient and reliable healthy food through public mobile markets, home deliveries and community partnerships.

In 2022, the Salem Pantry said 5,200 hours were volunteered to help distribute over 1.4 million pounds of food throughout Salem and the North Shore.

The Salem Pantry is planning an expansion — with the help of America Rescue Plan Act funds — that is expected to be completed in early 2023.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza)