About – Yarmouth Food Pantry

About Yarmouth Food Pantry

Mission Statement

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.

History

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 town information center. 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 December 2020, the Yarmouth Food Pantry has 3,977 registered households, with a total client count of 8,528.

Food Distribution

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.

Donations and Financial Support

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.

The Yarmouth Food Pantry serves more than 8,000 individuals in Barnstable County.
The Yarmouth Food Pantry is a 100% all-volunteer operation.
Over 100 volunteers donate their time to helping fight food insecurity in our community.
For every $1 donated, the pantry is able to purchase $2 worth of food from the Greater Boston Food Bank.
Every week, the Yarmouth Food Pantry purchases between 3,000 and 5,000lbs of food from the Greater Boston Food Bank.
On average, the Yarmouth Food Pantry distributes between 800 and 900 bags of food each month to more than 150 households.

508-394-0880

Lighthouse Landing Plaza
845 Route 28, Units 14-16,
South Yarmouth, MA 02664