Healthy Waltham To Distribute Free Food At Pantry Pop Up

WALTHAM, MA — A Waltham food pantry will be popping up Thursday, May 21, at St. Mary's Parish on School Street for those facing hardship because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The effort is one of several in the city to help ease the hardship faced by an increasing number of residents amid the stay at home order and subsequent closures and layoffs as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

According to Healthy Waltham, which is organizing the event, you don't need to register for the outdoor event. And all food is pre-bagged. Officials are asking that those who participate only take one bag per family.

The event starts at 4 p.m. and organizers plan to be there until 5:30 p.m. or until they run out of supplies.

At a Healthy Waltham pantry pop up at Government Center in April, hundreds of people showed up. At a pop up pantry Saturday organized by the mayor and aided by the Waltham City Council, Lions Club gave out of two bags of groceries to 400 people within the first hour it was open, officials gave out another 150 $25 gift cards to Market Basket, but an hour before the pop up pantry was set to close and almost all of the cards were handed out, people were still showing up asking about when the next pantry event might happen.

City councilors who were volunteering at the event Saturday said watching just how many people showed up hammered home for them the impact of the financial hardships amid the pandemic.

This just one of about a dozen options for residents in need of food right now. There are programs offered by the schools, Salvation Army, Boys & Girls Club, the YMCA, the Middlesex Human Services Agency, the Community Day Center and Healthy Waltham.

There are also groups, such as Mutual Aid Waltham cataloging resources and connecting residents in need with those resources.

The Greater Boston Food Bank, Brandeis University, Food For Free and St. Mary's are sponsoring this event along with the city.

Read more:

• Waltham Helping Waltham During Coronavirus Crisis
• Waltham Grassroots Volunteer Group Offers Help Online

Patch reporter Jenna Fisher can be reached at Jenna.Fisher@patch.com or by calling 617-942-0474. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram (@ReporterJenna).Have a press release you'd like posted on the Waltham Patch? Here's how to post a press release, opinion piece.