July Food Rescue

July means the start of summer’s bounty, and our favorite time of year. Fresh local healthy food abounds! Each Thursday evening, The Food Drive rescued hundreds of pounds of produce from Dick’s Market Gardens and Oakdale Farm at the Melrose Farmer’s Market and delivered literally one mile to A Servant’s Heart Food Pantry and to Cefalo Retirement Complex for Friday morning distribution. In both locations, pantry guests and low-income residents are able to pick their own items, and had a rainbow of seasonal choices: summer squash, zucchini, cucumbers, green beans, eggplant, greens, corn, peaches, berries, herbs, plums and peas. At our downtown food rescue partner, Buckalew’s General Store, The Food Drive’s volunteers collected beautifully prepared summer salads and grain bowls and transported two blocks to Pantry of Hope, where the guest count has increased from 30 to 50 families. And on July 31, it took four cars to transport the rescued fruits and vegetables from our downtown Melrose Whole Foods to Bread of Life in Malden, where demand for food is also on the rise. The Food Drive is on a mission to tackle hunger at the root. Everyone deserves healthy food.