NATICK, MA—The Natick Service Council celebrated this week the grand re-opening of the Heart Healthy Food Pantry on Thursday, the cumulation of a capital campaign that raised $50,000 for a major update to the facility.
"We are so thankful to all the generous organizations and individuals who contributed to make this renovation happen," a council spokesperson wrote on its Facebook page. "We are now a full choice food pantry set up just like a grocery store and will be able to serve twice as many people!"
The purpose of the capital campaign was to grow the food pantry's capacity to serve more residents and distribute more food to those in need, announced the Service Council last year.
The project, which began last May, includes a new rear entrance and ramp that leads directly to the expanded and redesigned food pantry. NSC's food pantry operations expanded over the past year when the food rescue program was introduce and the amount of food given out increased significantly, said last year's announcement.
"We went from giving away 100,000 pounds of food a year to nearly 300,000 pounds of food, mainly because of our partnership with Lovin' Spoonfuls, an organization that rescues food and brings it to local pantries," said Greg Tutuny, NSC's executive director, in the statement. "There is a huge need to provide perishable and health food in our community as we see too many people and families struggling with food security. This expansion will help us to get more healthy food into the hands of those who need it most."
Photos via Natick Service Council
