A 501(c)(3), the Yarmouth Food Pantry’s mission is to provide food to those in need without regard to age, race, color, national origin, religion, residence, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, handicap, veteran status, or any other status.
The Yarmouth Food Pantry was established in 2010, when a handful of community members noticed a need to help fight food insecurity in their own backyard. To get the food pantry up and running, the newly formed group, a few of them Rotarians, approached the Yarmouth Rotary Club, who responded with financial and volunteer support.
The first Yarmouth Food Pantry location was a small space inside the old police station, which is now the Yarmouth Chamber of Commerce. In August of 2010, the pantry had registered six households, totaling 36 clients –15 adults, 20 children and 1 senior.
The pantry quickly grew and by the start of the fiscal year 2012, 204 families were registered, with a total of 462 clients–267 adults, 157 children and 43 seniors.
Over the next several years, the need for services continued to grow, and it was quickly apparent the pantry space also needed to grow. Space was rented at Lighthouse Landing, first one unit, then a second and finally the current space occupying three units.
As of November 2024, the Yarmouth Food Pantry has helped 5941 registered households, with a total client count of 12,861.
Food is distributed twice a week with additional distributions on scheduled days of the month. Once a month individuals and families can shop items throughout the pantry, with the amount of food dependent on the number of family members. Once a month the clients can return for a “meat only” distribution.
With an average of 800 clients per month, where does the support for the pantry come from? The majority of the food distributed by the Yarmouth Food Pantry comes from the Boston Food Bank, Dennis Public Market and other local vendors, as well as local food drives. Funds also come from grants given by charitable foundations and generous individuals and organizations, such as Yarmouth Rotary. Monetary donations are always welcome because it increases the pantry’s purchasing power, enabling us to obtain much-needed items at a reduced rate. Roughly, $1.00 donated can buy $2.00 worth of goods through the Greater Boston Food Bank.
Yarmouth Rotary has been involved since the inception of the Pantry, with different members kindly serving on the board at various times. Currently four Rotarians serve on the board*: Hollie Halloran, Bob Bouche, Steve Albright and Jill Albright.
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