June 30, 2021
The United Parish in Brookline is grateful to announce a new ministry partnership with the Brookline Food Pantry (BFP). Starting August 1, we will serve as the central location for the Food Pantry. This is an exciting new chapter in the lives of both organizations.
For 37 years, the Brookline Food Pantry has been a mainstay of alleviating food insecurity in Brookline. It began as a ministry of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church and in 2014 became its own non-profit. Volunteers come from all over Brookline. Need has expanded steadily over the years, leading to secondary locations in affordable housing complexes on Egmont and High Streets. In 2018, directed by the inspiration of Kim Kushner, BFP developed the Brookline Thrives program which provides weekend backpacks of meals for Brookline students who need the additional food. Nearly 550 students participate in this program.
During the pandemic, United Parish has provided storage for the Brookline Thrives program. At the same time, need at the three food pantry locations increased from 175 households per week to 750. With all of this increased food insecurity, BFP has needed more space. This winter and spring, the Food Pantry and United Parish began conversations about how we might collaborate.
Our Parish Administrator Sarah Fitzpatrick and Facilities Manager David Dunphy have worked diligently with BFP Operations Manager Arielle Chernin (a life-long United Parish member), Executive Director Elizabeth Boen, and their Board to make sure we can accommodate their needs while also continuing our congregation’s regular programming, as well as that of our other regular building users. BFP will use the storage room off of the Willett Hall stage for their primary storage. They will use Willett Hall and our Chapel during regular weekly daytime distribution hours (two times per week). The Brookline Food Pantry welcomes new volunteers, you can sign up here.
We are grateful that God has brought us this new collaboration in the ongoing good work of the Brookline Food Pantry. We hope you will join us in welcoming them into the array of organizations and ministry partners that use our building.
For any inquiries about this new collaboration, please contact Parish Administrator Sarah Fitzpatrick at office@upbrookline.org or 617-277-6860.
