Catholic Charities Boston’s Brockton Food Pantry Receives SouthCoast Community Foundation Grant

Catholic Charities’ Brockton Food Pantry has received a $50,000 COVID-19 Immediate Relief Grant – Round 4 from the SouthCoast Community Foundation. This generous funding will support the pantry’s mission to reduce food insecurity in the Brockton area by providing nutritious, desirable, and culturally relevant meals for at least 250 households per week. 

The Brockton Food Pantry is operated out of Catholic Charities South, one of five multi-service locations operated by Catholic Charities Boston. Staff at the pantry have seen a record-high demand for food assistance among their clients this year, many who continue to struggle with the increased cost of food, utilities, and housing, and the discontinuation of expanded SNAP benefits.  

“We are in the midst of a perfect storm,” said Beth Chambers, Vice President of Basic Needs at Catholic Charities. “It’s the increased cost of utilities, it’s the increased cost of food and gas. People are coming to us more desperate than they ever have in the past.” 

During the summer of 2022, the Brockton Food Pantry was serving 175 households per week; today, between the increased rate of food insecurity and the recent influx of migrants from Haiti, Central America, and South America in the Brockton area, the staff are serving closer to 250 families per week, many who have young, school-aged children. 

The grant from the SouthCoast Community Foundation will allow the Brockton Food Pantry to make purchases beyond that supplied by the Greater Boston Food Bank and donations from local grocery stores. The Brockton pantry will now be able to increase use of outside food suppliers, ensuring that there is an adequate supply of nutritious meal staples, fresh produce, and food that reflects the diverse cultures of the program’s clientele. The funding will also allow the Brockton Food Pantry to hire additional staff and volunteers to better meet the increased need.  

The SouthCoast Community Foundation allocates individual, family, and corporate funds to meet community needs. To date, the organization has distributed over $50 million from more than 200 funds to humanitarian, educational, and cultural organizations in the region.

About Catholic Charities Boston 

As one of Massachusetts’ largest social service organizations, Catholic Charities of Boston serves our most vulnerable neighbors each year, regardless of religion, race, gender, age, disability, or ethnicity. Catholic Charities has five hub locations in Dorchester, Lynn, Brockton, Lowell, and South Boston, with 23 program locations supporting families across Eastern Massachusetts. The Agency’s four core services assist clients with Basic Needs, Family & Youth Services, Adult Education & Workforce Development, and Refugee & Immigrant Services. We help our clients move from crisis to stability to self-sufficiency. 

About SouthCoast Community Foundation 

The SouthCoast Community Foundation is a nonprofit serving the communities of Southeastern Massachusetts through philanthropy. The Community Foundation mission is to mobilize philanthropy by matching donors and resources with community needs for the benefit of our region. Since 1995, the organization has distributed over $50 million from more than 200 funds to humanitarian, educational, and cultural organizations in the region. For more information, visit www.southcoastcf.org.