Massachusetts nonprofit hits milestone amidst rising costs and hits to safety net programs causing strain on the state’s emergency food system
Boston, MA – Massachusetts-based food recovery nonprofit, Spoonfuls, will distribute its 50 millionth pound of food, as residents of the Commonwealth grapple with historically high rates of food insecurity exacerbated by federal hits to the safety net and case worker shortages at the Department of Transition Assistance (DTA). According to the Greater Boston Food Bank, 2 in 5 Massachusetts households face food insecurity.
“Food is essential to health, and rescued ingredients from Spoonfuls stretch our food budget while contributing to nutritious, prepared meals for women who would otherwise go hungry,” said Jennifer Hanlon Wigon, CEO of Women’s Lunch Place. “What makes this partnership especially valuable is that Spoonfuls understands our kitchen and connects us with ingredients we know we can use. Every dollar saved through their support is a dollar we can use for our housing, healthcare, and stabilization programs.”
Spoonfuls is on track to recover and distribute over 7 million pounds of food – 5.6 million meals – across 100+ towns and cities in 2026 alone. It will be the most in the organization’s 16-year history and evidence of its steady growth trajectory. Building from the launch of their first Southeastern Massachusetts food recovery route in 2025, the organization will soon announce expansion in the South Shore and Rhode Island as it continues to scale its food recovery operations.
“The milestone is a bittersweet moment. Adding 50 million pounds of fresh food – enough for 40 million meals – to the social service stream is significant,” says Ashley Stanley, Founder & CEO of Spoonfuls. “But it’s happening at a time when hunger in Massachusetts is higher than our organization has ever seen and good food continues to be wasted everyday. Our work is far from over.”
Spoonfuls doesn’t store the fresh food it recovers. It delivers it same-day, reaching 270+ community food programs – pantries, meal programs, shelters, senior centers, and more – across Massachusetts.
Food recovery also has a significant environmental benefit. Food is the number one material in Massachusetts’ waste stream, according to the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, and when it decomposes there it generates methane, a greenhouse gas 28 times better at trapping heat in the atmosphere than CO2 (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency). By diverting 50 million pounds of still-good food from landfills, Spoonfuls has prevented an estimated over 24,500 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions. That’s equivalent to the emissions from cars driven 62,500,000 miles.
Spoonfuls started as Stanley’s passion project on the heels of the recession in 2010. At the time, Stanley drove the organization’s only vehicle. Today, Spoonfuls’ team of 35+, including more than 20 ServSafe-certified Food Recovery Coordinators with designated routes and assigned partners, including food donors like grocery stores, wholesalers, and farms supplying produce, meats, dairy, baked goods, and more that are still-good, but no longer considered saleable.