USDA Cuts Back On Hunger Relief Shipments To Massachusetts
Volunteers pass out fresh vegetables for a Thanksgiving meal at the Alameda Food Bank in Alameda, Calif., in this 2009 file photo.
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A change in vendors used by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to supply badly needed food to local hunger relief organizations has severely cut back on its deliveries to the state, members of the Massachusetts congressional delegation said Tuesday.
âYou can t get enough food out there right now,â said Sasha Purpura, of the Cambridge-based Food for Free Committee. âAnd that s why these boxes were so important, because they allowed for safe distribution of food in organizations that are under-resourced and don t have, you know, huge facilities and resources.
Food For Free receives space for new distribution center
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Urban Spaces a Cambridge-based real estate development company and Food for Free a Cambridge-based nonprofit dedicated to providing reliable access to fresh food recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the opening of a new food packing and distribution center.
Located at 73 First St. across from the CambridgeSide shopping center, the facility aims to help Food For Free meet the growing demand for food during the COVID-19 health crisis. Urban Spaces is donating the rent and property management services for the 3,600 square-foot facility.
Since the health crisis hit in March, Food For Free had been using the Cambridge Senior Center as a food packing and distribution center. The nonprofit knew that they would need to find another space once winter began in order to make way for the city’s seasonal warming center for the homeless. To assist, the East Cambridge Business Association’s ex