Wakefield Interfaith Food Pantry Offers Kid Friendly Food Options for Summer Kids First Program

The Wakefield Interfaith Food Pantry offers a special program called Kids First which provides food to families with school age children during the summer months.

“Many families receive free or reduced price breakfast and lunch during the school year, but this help is not available during the summer,” explains Maureen Miller, Operations Director at the Wakefield Interfaith Food Pantry. “The Kids First Program provides some “kid friendly” food items to help replace those meals.”

Interested families should go the food pantry during open hours (Tuesday and Thursday from 9:00 am – 1:00 pm, and Thursday between 6:00 pm and 8:00 pm) to register and choose their food.  Families are able to shop twice per month. 

The pantry has partnered with Shaws in Wakefield which has generously agreed to provide food items to the pantry at a low cost and delivers the food as well.  In addition to the regular stock, families will find juice boxes, fruit cups, pudding cups, breakfast bars, pancake mix, cookies and crackers, bread, Nutella spread, freeze pops and fresh fruit.

For more information about the Summer Kids First Program, please call the food pantry at 781.245.2510 or email:  kidsfirst@wifoodpantry.org.

Food Pantry Volunteers Make Sure Clients Enjoy the 4th of July in Power Out Crisis

Thirty-two needy families would have been without food for their Fourth of July celebration had it not been for the extra effort of the Wakefield Municipal Gas & Light Department and the dedicated volunteers at the food pantry (as reported in the Wakefield Daily Item by Gail Lowe, 7/10/2012). Volunteers worked in the pitch black to help clients shop for provisions and to do registrations to make ...sure that each shopper was a Wakefield resident. While the WMGLD planned the outage, the staff at the WIFP didn't know about it due to a communication error. "All Americans - no matter what economic level -- deserve to have a good time on our nation's birthday," said Maureen Miller, Director of WIFP Operations. And so thanks to support from the WMGLD and super volunteers, they did!

Thank You for Special Election Collection Food Drive

All of us here at the Wakefield Interfaith Food Pantry – staff, board members, and volunteers – would like to extend our deepest thanks to the generous citizens of Wakefield.  Voters who came out on June 9^th to cast their ballots related to the funding of a new Galvin Middle School also brought in donations of much need food items to help stock our pantry shelves.  Because of your kindness, we collected about 100 bags of food from this Special Election Collection food drive.  Thank you again and best wishes for a fun-filled, safe summer.

Maureen Miller, Director of Operations

Wakefield Interfaith Food Pantry

Wakefield Youth Lacrosse Hosts Food Drive, June 2nd & 3rd

Wakefield Youth Lacrosse is sponsoring food drive to benefit the Wakefield Interfaith Food Pantry this weekend on June 2^nd and 3^rd at the fields at Galvin Middle School during the games. 

Look for collection bins near the grilles or field entrances. Everyone who donates an item will be entered into a raffle for a chance to win 4 Boston Cannon's Tickets!!

The most needed food items are:  canned tuna (solid white) /canned chicken,canned fruit, rice/pasta meals, baking items such as cake/frosting and cookie mixes.

Special Election Day Food Collection: June 9, 2012

When you go to the Wakefield High School Field House to vote in the Special Election on June 9th to approve a Debt Exclusion to build a new Galvin Middle School, please bring a food donation to help stock the shelves of the Wakefield Interfaith Food Pantry. 

The recent Letter Carriers Food Drive did not bring in as much food as in previous years and the pantry is consistently busy during the summer months. Bins will be available throughout the Field House for the convenience of the givers. Any and all donations are greatly appreciated!

In addition, the food pantry is in need of volunteers on that day to empty the bins and bring the food back to the food pantry at the Civic Center location.  For information about volunteering, please call 781-245-2510 (choose option 5 to volunteer your time).