Supporting Our Central Square Community During COVID-19
Posted: Jun 25, 2020
As we continue to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic, it is clear that being a good neighbor is more important than ever. Here at Market Central, we care deeply about the members of our Central Square community as well as our first responders who are on the front lines fighting against this pandemic. As such, we have established the Market Central COVID-19 Food Fund in order to support organizations that are helping to feed both our community members as well as our first responders, and we will be matching donations made through the Market Central Covid-19 Food Fund GoFundMe. To start, we are donating $2,500 to each of the following organizations: Food For Free, The Margaret Fuller House and Cafe Luna. Here are some details about each organization and the work that they’re doing to provide for our community, as well as way that you can get involved:
Food For Free is a Cambridge-based organization that recaptures fresh food from groceries stores and restaurants that might otherwise be discarded, reducing food waste while guaranteeing access to fresh produce and healthy meals for emergency food programs and individuals in need. They distribute rescued food to 100+ food programs in the Greater Boston area and are the primary provider for food pantries throughout Cambridge. In 2019, Food For Free rescued and distributed more than 2 million pounds of food, which helped to feed 30,000+ people. During COVID-19, Food For Free has been distributing gift cards to Cambridge residents who are at high risk of food insecurity, and Market Central’s $2,500 donation will help feed 20 families for a month with gift cards for groceries.
Margaret Fuller Neighborhood House
Located within blocks of Market Central, Margaret Fuller Neighborhood House is the largest food pantry in Cambridge serving over 16,000 individuals and families each year. Beyond food services, they also provide a broad array of social services including adult enrichment, community advancement, and child and teen services in Cambridge’s The Port neighborhood. During COVID-19, they have been expanding their offerings to include virtual community and youth services, virtual assistance in signing unemployment assistance, emergency relief funds, and SNAP benefits, as well as emergency relief funding.
Another neighbor of Market Central, Cafe Luna is a casual restaurant run by owners Matt & Teri Haymer that’s been serving breakfast, brunch and lunch in Central Square for 14 years (and was named Boston Magazine’s Best Daily Breakfast in 2019). In light of COVID-19, since April Cafe Luna has been preparing and delivering 2,000 meals per week for healthcare workers and first responders who are fighting the pandemic. These meals have been split between Mass General Hospital, Boston Children’s Hospital and Mount Auburn Hospital in Watertown. In addition to the meals delivered to the hospitals, Cafe Luna has also supplied 700+ meals to those experiencing homelessness in the City of Cambridge.
The work that these organizations have done in our Central Square community and beyond is extremely important, and we are incredibly proud to be able to support them. If you would also like to support their efforts, please use the Market Central Covid-19 Food Fund GoFundMe to make a donation, and we at Market Central would be more than happy to match donations up to $100 each!