By Julie Royce | Development Associate
Boston is one of the most expensive cities in the U.S., with deep inequality at many levels. Residents are facing a dearth of affordable housing options with rents among the highest in the nation. At the same time, inflated prices in grocery stores have led to a widespread food crisis, where 1/3 of adults across Massachusetts are unsure whether they have enough food for themselves and their children. Food insecurity is even higher among people of color, elderly, and LGBTQ+ individuals.
At Rosie’s Place, our Food Program’s priority is to bridge this gap. Our Food Program provides breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and operates a food pantry, serving 350 visitors each day. At the end of March 2024, the Dining Room had served 110,000 meals to our guests. We expect to serve at least 130,000 meals this year when our fiscal year ends in June 2024, up from 103,000 meals during fiscal year 2023.
In the Food Pantry, we track the number of unique women who visit and the number of visits. We also track additional items distributed by the Pantry, including gift cards, toiletries, and household goods. We collect some data from guests of the Pantry, which gives us the ability to look at shifting demographics on the average woman who visits. In the past year, for example, we found that women over age 60, while only making up 1/3 of the guests who use the Pantry, visited more often—almost twice as often as women under 60.
In the coming year as we mark 50 years of turning hope into help at Rosie’s Place, we expect to serve more than 12,000 individuals and an estimated 5,000 children by providing healthy meals and fresh groceries to prevent hunger, promote the health and wellness of vulnerable women, and to prevent eviction and homelessness.
We would like to extend our gratitude for your generous gift to Rosie’s Place through GlobalGiving in support of our Food Program. Thanks to your generosity, we are able to provide necessary meals and groceries for women in need in Boston.
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By Julie Royce | Development Associate
By Julie Royce | Development Associate
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