Women’s Lunch Place Receives $35,000 Grant from GBFB

By Dan Murphy

Women’s Lunch Place was recently the recipient of a $35,000 grant from the Greater Boston Food Bank (GBFB).

“GBFB’s network of dedicated agency partners includes amazing organizations like Women’s Lunch Place that inspire us to be innovative in our efforts to address food insecurity across Eastern Massachusetts,” said Catherine D’Amato, president and CEO at GBFB. “With deep concern about the potential impacts of federal policy changes on food access across our region, we aim to continue to invest in partners like Women’s Lunch Place to bolster their ability to provide even more nutritious meals to the women in Boston that rely on them to meet their individual needs, all with dignity and respect.”

GBFB’s grant, which came via the  disbursement of $1 million in Community Investment Grants this year to 74 different charitable food organizations that serve communities throughout Eastern Massachusetts, will allow Women’s Lunch Place to purchase three freezers and one refrigerator, doubling its on-site capacity for the storage of frozen and refrigerated food.

Moreover, the grant will also help pay the salary of an additional full-time kitchen assistant.

Women Lunch Place’s Healthy Meals team prepares three meals per day: breakfast and lunch are served restaurant-style (with vegetarian options available), brought to guests seated at tables, and a third meal is offered through the Takeaway Dinner program. More than 400 additional meals are delivered weekly to partners across the city.

Demand for the Healthy Meals program has been consistently rising, with record-breaking meal totals in six consecutive years.

Last fiscal year, Women’s Lunch Place prepared and served 164,855 meals (a new record in the 43-year history of the organization, and a 19-percent increase over the previous record).

Additional capacity also allows for more food rescue opportunities, some of which currently need to be turned down, from partners, such as Spoonfuls and local restaurants.

“It feels wonderful to be able to rescue more food and cook more meals,” said Inna Khitrik, executive chef at Women’s Lunch Place. “This grant has also given us the opportunity to increase the amount of frozen protein we receive from GBFB and grow our kitchen staff. We are preparing more healthy meals than ever and ensuring that our guests––who are feeling the cost increases at grocery stores––have the nutrition they need to focus on their goals.”

For more information on Women’s Lunch Place, visit womenslunchplace.org.