Community Cooks of Somerville held a “Just for You” event at the Charlesgate Yacht Club in Cambridge to celebrate their most loyal donors and partner organizations.
Community Cooks coordinates a network of over 780 volunteers from 61 Boston-area cities and towns, who offer free home cooked meals to vulnerable citizens by supporting 35 direct-service partner agencies. Malden-based Bread of Life is one of their direct-service partner organizations that receive monthly distributions.
It was in response to the impressive work by Bread of Life to feed the hungry and homeless in the metro-north area that brought them to the attention of Community Cooks. Based in Malden, Bread of Life is a faith-based organization that offers:
- Free evening meals Tuesday through Friday in Malden.
- Food pantries in Malden and Everett.
- Grocery distribution to seniors in Malden, Everett, Melrose, Medford and Wakefield public housing.
- Food distribution to homeless families temporarily sheltered in local motels.
- Mobile outreach to homeless and clothing ministry.
Bread of Life, represented by Executive Director Thomas Feagley and Board Member Kathleen McKenna, addressed the attendees at the “Just for You” event and shared with them the positive impact that Community Cooks donations and meals have on Bread of Life and the people it serves.
The second accolade bestowed on Bread of Life was from the Greater Boston Food Bank, which held its “Partner Appreciation Day” recently at their South Bay Avenue center of operations. Bread of Life was honored as the “Community Partner of the Year” award recipient. The Greater Boston Food Bank has existed since 1981 with a mission to end hunger here in eastern Massachusetts. They are the largest hunger-relief organization in New England, and one of the largest food banks in the country.
In order to receive this award, an organization must be a Greater Boston Food Bank member agency and consistently exceed expectations in food distribution, food safety, nutrition, community advocacy, leadership and partnership.
According to the Greater Boston Food Bank, “Bread of Life has been a partner since 1989, serves as a role model in communities North of Boston, hosts the Tri-cities Hunger Network meetings, encourages the sharing of best practices and resources, and is always ready to lend support to smaller feeding programs when there is a need.”
Feagley expressed Bread of Life’s gratitude once they learned that they would receive the Community Partner of the Year award. He shared the magnitude of the contribution received from the Greater Boston Food Bank by informing those present that in 2014 Bread of Life received hundreds of pounds of food from the GBFB with a value of $850,937.16 for which Bread of Life paid only $6,492.58.
As Feagley articulated “we all work together, we are all brothers and sisters in the fight to end hunger.
Congratulations, Bread of Life! A well-deserved honor and inspiration to us all.
Congratulations to Bread of Life! God Bless Tom Feagley, Gabreilla Snyder Stelmack and all who work diligently to help by doing their part to end hunger. Many church groups and volunteers work together all year long, even on holidays to feed the hungry in Malden MA and surrounding communities. My daughter Meaghan Quatieri and I volunteered together for many years at Bread of Life beside many amazing volunteers and it’s the best and most rewarding experience I have ever had in my entire life! God Bless All the Volinteers and Church Groups who are a part of this wonderful organization. I pray everyone takes the time to give from their hearts and whatever they can afford from their wallets to help Bread of Life continue their mission to end hunger.