Food Pantry & Mobile Market

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Our Mobile Market provides monthly supplemental boxes of fresh fruits and vegetables, milk, eggs, butter and lean meat.

The Mobile Market began out of an increased need for access to fresh produce, dairy and lean proteins. During an annual food pantry survey, our clients expressed that these were the items they most benefited from when using the food pantry and having increased access to them would benefit their overall health and lifestyle.

Clients may visit the Mobile Market once per month, in addition to shopping in the Heart Healthy Food Pantry. Clients receive a pre-packed box which includes a variety of fresh produce. They are able to have choice of lean proteins including chicken, beef or fish as well as a selection of dairy products including 1%, 2% and whole milk, eggs and butter.

Through a generous grant from the MetroWest Health Foundation, NSC launched (March, 2013) the MetroWest region's first Heart Healthy Food Pantry. There is a clear need to improve the heart health of Natick residents, particularly families and individuals who cannot afford the high cost of healthy foods.

The Vi Tutuny Heart Healthy Food Pantry is a choice pantry and our clients are able to shop for foods they prefer and are provided with up to two weeks of nutritious foods, including fresh fruits, vegetables, low fat dairy products, lean meats and personal care items. We are able to staff the food pantry because of our wonderful volunteers - over 222 of them - who facilitate approximately 3,250 client visits a year.

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Lovin' Spoonfuls c

Information courtesy of Lovin' Spoonfuls

Food Rescue Program

Over the past year, we doubled the amount of food given out to clients due to clients, mainly because of our partnership with Lovin' Spoonfuls, a local organization that rescues fresh food that would otherwise be thrown away from grocery stores, produce wholesalers, farms and farmers markets, and distribute it to community food pantries. We have a separate Food Rescue Area that clients can access daily without an appointment.

Who Does the Pantry Serve?

We offer food to those individuals and families in Natick that need help with providing food for themselves and their family.

Our Food Pantry provides:

3-5 bags of non-perishable food and 1 bag of perishable food per family per month
50 families served weekly

Each family is required to make an appointment for a specific date and time each month. Appointments are scheduled in 15-minute blocks.

Am I Eligible?

All Natick Service Council clients are eligible to use the Food Pantry once a month.

Other resources

If you need more resources, or you are not a Natick Resident visit: https://www.metrowestfoodcollaborative.org/find-food-1

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What’s the Process?

Once you become a Natick Service Council client (through meeting with a Case Manager), you will be given a Food Pantry card and can make your first appointment. You are responsible for making your own monthly appointments either by phone or in-person at the Natick Service Council office.

Approximately 24-hours before your appointment, someone from the Natick Service Council will call to remind you of your appointment date and time. We ask that you arrive promptly for your monthly appointment and be finished shopping within the 15-minute appointment time.

We provide assistance with food selection and bagging. Additionally, we will help you load your groceries into your vehicle.

We will verify your income once a year.

How to Donate to the Food Pantry

The Vi Tutuny Heart Healthy Food Pantry only accepts donations of non-perishable food items. We respectfully ask, on behalf of our clients, that you not to donate any open or expired items as we have to dispose of them.

The following collection bins are currently open for donations:

Roche Bros. Natick
Stop & Shop | Natick
Natick Service Council | 2 Webster Street

The food in these collection bins is collected each week by volunteers and delivered to our Food Pantry.

For a list of foods needed in the Pantry for this time of year, please check below.

Why Are We Here
donation

Top 10 Food Pantry Items Needed:

Peanut butter
Tuna
Canned fruit
Pasta and jarred pasta sauce
Coffee and/or tea
Bottled juice
Cereal
Shampoo
Toilet Paper
Soap

To learn more contact us at (508) 655-1791.