As Allston-Brighton Food Pantry Closure Persists, Demand Surges at Local Aid Programs

After snowstorm damage forced the Allston Brighton Food Pantry — one of the largest food pantries in the neighborhood — to close in February, neighboring food assistance programs have struggled to absorb the surge in demand.

The pantry, which is located at the Brighton Allston Congregational Church, closed on Feb. 7 after the storms caused extensive roof and water damage to the building. Since early March, it has partially resumed operations, distributing rescue groceries to residents on Wednesdays and Fridays from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m.

But the pantry's physical space has remained closed as it undergoes renovations. The pantry announced that demolition of the damaged area was completed on March 11, and ongoing work is focused on roof replacement and electrical repairs.

Matthew R. Rasure, director of development for the pantry, said that the church has also stepped in to provide financial support for the renovations to avoid delays in re-opening.

“The community cares, and they are being deeply responsive to that. So, folks are just deeply invested in us getting back on our feet,” Rasure said.

Operating without a building has been disruptive for proper food distribution, according to Rasure.

Typically, the food pantry receives around 8,000 pounds of food from the Greater Boston Food Bank. In addition to distributing groceries, the pantry would offer hot meals on Wednesday nights and prepare baskets of non-perishable goods for distribution on Saturdays.

Normally, volunteers would sort groceries into bags and distribute them equally to residents. But since the closure, the pantry has shifted to a first-come, first-serve model where recipients collect groceries directly from the community fridge.

“Right now, our rescue grocery operation is incredibly imperfect,” Rasure said. “It privileges those who arrive early. It privileges those who are first in line and most aggressive about claiming their pieces, and it definitely disadvantages those who are last in line or who show up late.”

The pantry's closure complicates rising food insecurity, an issue that nonprofit leaders say is pervasive in Allston especially. And as residents seek food assistance elsewhere, demand is quickly outpacing supply.

Victoria Schnoes, the general manager of the Brookline Food Rescue, said she has seen a noticeable uptick in residents visiting on a regular basis across their sixteen programs.

“There’s a lot of government people out there that are not getting paid because of the shutdowns,” she said. “Those people are frequenting food pantries, as well as low-income residents of the local communities.”

Brookline Food Rescue operates differently from a typical pantry, collecting no information or paperwork from shoppers in an effort to improve access — which makes quantifying the strain more difficult. The organization aggregates surplus food from a variety of sources — accepting leftovers from Amtrak Acela trains, the Hynes Convention Center, restaurants, and temples — and redistributes them the same day.

Schnoes said that leftovers have become more scarce in recent months.

“Since we do not ask for any paperwork or demographics or anything like that,” Schnoes said. “We don’t keep a list of who comes or how many people come.”

“But by the fact that we don’t have leftovers anymore. We don’t have to go back to those programs and pick up what didn’t get distributed. That’s why I was saying there’s a higher demand on the free food resources,” she added.

Allston began to see an increased strain on food access programs after a federal government shutdown significantly delayed the distribution of SNAP benefits in November. Soon after, rising demand pushed some residents to address food insecurity themselves.

A group of residents started the Allston Brighton Food Train last November, which allows recipients to fill out a form indicating what they need — prepared meals, groceries, household items — and matches them to a volunteer donor who can provide or transport the requested goods.

“Even once SNAP benefits were reinstated, we found that a lot of community members didn’t get their full SNAP benefits back,” Amaal Ladha, one of the co-organizers, said. “Lots of people had to reapply, and even people who have their SNAP benefits, it still isn’t enough for them.”

Since launching, the food train has made 180 matches between donors and recipients. But Ladha said requests from recipients have outpaced what the organization can provide.

“We were completely unprepared for how many people suddenly needed donations,” Ladha said. “It took a massive effort, and it took time to be able to get people what they needed because our list of donors was just not robust enough.”

The food train has since ramped up donor outreach through Facebook groups, neighborhood groups, and personal appeals to meet the demand.

As the pantry has slowly resumed grocery distribution, many residents have responded to calls for support — volunteering to distribute food or cook meals for recipients through the food train.

“Some people are volunteering in between work, so they’re available for maybe two months, and then they are off into another part of their life,” said Grace Wang, the volunteer coordinator for the AB Food Pantry. “But we have some volunteers who have been with us for over 10 years. They’ve seen the pantry grow.”

Robert Bonner, a regular volunteer at the pantry's Wednesday hot meal, said the number of people being served has roughly doubled over the last four years — and the need has not diminished amid the closure.

“There’s still a huge demand, and it’s really sad. It’s heartbreaking to see these people in need of food, and we’re not able to provide it for them, so I’ll be happy when we finally get reopened,” Bonner said.

—Staff writer Thamini Vijeyasingam can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on X @vijeyasingam.

—Staff writer Kevin Zhong can be reached at [email protected].