In response to the needs of our community, the Beverly Bootstraps Food Pantry was started in 1992 by the parishioners at the First Baptist Church. Since then, our services have grown tremendously to meet the ongoing needs of the community.
Food Pantry
Clients may visit the Food Pantry every 14 days and will be able to “shop” and choose the foods they enjoy from our selection of fresh produce, proteins, staple items and extras. The Food Pantry is restocked throughout the day and clients are encouraged to come later in the day to avoid waiting in lines.
All clients must bring proof of Beverly, Manchester, Essex, Hamilton or Wenham residence (a piece of mail postmarked within the last 30 days). New clients must also bring ID for all family members.
In response to COVID-19, we have extended our daily Food Pantry hours in an effort to keep people moving through our space and eliminate congregating in the lobby.
Masks are recommended in compliance with the state’s current regulations.
Hours of Operation
Monday – 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Tuesday – 1:00 pm – 6:00pm
Wednesday – 10:00 am – 6:00pm
Thursday – 10:00am – 2:00pm
New Client Registration
Monday – 9:15 am – 9:45 am
Tuesday – 12:15 pm – 12:45 pm and 4:00 pm – 4:30 pm
Wednesday – 9:15 am – 9:45 am and 4:00 pm – 4:30 pm
Thursday – 9:15 am – 9:45 am
Donations
We are accepting food donations at our 35 Park Street facility. To learn more about food donations, click here.
Kids Eat Healthy Initiative
Overview
No kid should go hungry or worry about where their next meal is coming from. Sadly, right here in Essex County, 11.5 % of kids are faced with these challenges every day. Through the Kids Eat Healthy initiative, we are committed to supporting local children in need of food.
We do this through our Summer Food and Weekend Food programs which are designed to provide increased access to the Food Pantry and to provide healthy snacks for children when not in school.
Summer/Family Food Program
When school is out and there is less access to food through the schools’ free and reduced lunch programs, families are encouraged to sign-up to visit the pantry every week instead of every 14 days. By coming every week, we are able to increase the amount of food available to children and their families.
Summer/Family Food has been available since March 18, 2020 and will continue to be through the end of this year.
Weekend Food Program
During the school year we partner with Beverly Public Schools to provide food to school age children that are at extreme risk and do not have access to enough healthy food on days they are not in school such as weekends and vacation weeks. Depending on the needs of the family, either pre-packed bags of healthy snacks are provided or additional Food Pantry visits are offered.
Food Assistance
Mobile Markets
Our Mobile Markets are free, fresh farmers markets that promote better health and nutrition by providing eligible households with fresh fruits and vegetables.
Participants choose free, fresh produce delivered right to their neighborhood. Through these markets we serve residents of local housing complexes and our senior citizens.
This summer Mobile Market will be operating in a limited capacity and serving residents of Apple Village and Turtle Woods/Turtle Creek Apartments only
Community Meals
The Beverly Community embraces those in need of a meal by providing a free dinner every night of the week. In partnership with Root, we support the local churches and groups hosting the meals by providing the cooked food, delivering it to the meal site and providing volunteers to help prepare and serve it for several of the nightly dinners.
Senior Delivery
In a continued effort to keep this vulnerable population safe, we are delivering food to the Beverly Council on Aging twice a month to be disbursed to senior residents.
“What a lot of people don’t understand is that it can happen to anyone.”
– Pamela, who never anticipated needing to use the Food Pantry