Expansion increases critical food resources from Salem to New Bedford
Newton, MA – Massachusetts-based food recovery, Spoonfuls, expanded its services, now reaching further north and south of Boston, as a part of the organization’s efforts to reduce food waste and feed people experiencing food insecurity. For the first time, Spoonfuls is recovering and distributing food in Attleboro, Brockton, Malden, Mansfield, New Bedford, North Reading, Salem, Stoughton, and Taunton.
The expansion, informed by Spoonfuls’ strategic plan, comes at a critical moment as the state is tackling near-historic high rates of food insecurity while bracing for the impacts of cuts to nutrition programs, like SNAP, arising out of the passage of the Trump administration’s “big” bill. Spoonfuls’ current footprint, inclusive of the latest growth, stretches from Boston to Springfield, where the organization is expected to keep nearly 6 million pounds of fresh food out of Massachusetts’ wastestream in 2025.
“1 in 6 households across Massachusetts is experiencing food insecurity, and that’s before the impact of SNAP cuts have been fully realized,” said Spoonfuls’ Founder & CEO, Ashley Stanley. “In discussion with grocery retailers, wholesalers, farmers, community and coalition partners, and neighbors living and working north and south of Boston, it’s clear there is significant need. There’s also significant opportunity and appetite for our food recovery work as an added support for other local food access efforts.”
Said Stanley, Spoonfuls’ expansion was made possible by a combination of route optimization (considering how to maximize time and resources to cover more deliveries on existing routes) as well as funding for a new route in Southeastern Massachusetts. Spoonfuls is now delivering food to 20 additional emergency food programs, such as pantries, that collectively serve more than 13,000 people each week. Spoonfuls expects its reach in these areas to grow as they continue to source additional food.
“Spoonfuls has been a valuable partner for over a decade, and we’re excited to expand our collaboration through pick-ups at our Easton and Bridgewater locations,” said Artie Kroese, Director of Operations at Roche Bros. “We work hard to minimize excess food in our stores, but even with the best forecasting, there’s always some surplus – customer preferences shift and trends change. By partnering with Spoonfuls, we not only reduce our waste disposal costs, but more importantly, we help ensure that good, unsold food goes to feed our neighbors instead of ending up in a landfill.”
Spoonfuls focuses on recovering fresh food – from produce, meat, and dairy to baked goods – which are also the most likely to go to waste from area grocery stores, wholesalers and farms. The organization prioritizes transporting this food quickly and safely, using ServSafe-certified drivers, a fleet of refrigerated trucks, and a same-day delivery system, to ensure fresh food can be enjoyed while it’s still good to eat. By providing the food they recover for free to community organizations, Spoonfuls’ is helping food programs offer clients more healthy food without adding operational costs.
“We’re grateful to work with Spoonfuls to bring more healthy food to our neighbors here on the North Shore,” said Robyn Burns, Executive Director of The Salem Pantry. “Everyone deserves access to nutritious food, and this collaboration makes that possible for the 3,400 families we serve each month.”
According to the nonprofit ReFED, approximately a third of all food in the United States goes unsold or uneaten. The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) reports that food continues to be the number one material in Massachusetts’ wastestream.
Spoonfuls’ is now distributing food to: Attleboro Norton YMCA, BAMSI, Boys & Girls Club of Metro South, Father Bill’s & MainSpring, Housing Families Resource Hub, Massasoit Community College, North Reading Food Pantry, Old Colony YMCA, Our Daily Bread Mansfield Food Pantry, Root, The Salem Pantry, Servants of Hope Food Pantry, and United Way of New Bedford. Additional partners are expected to be added soon.