The Salem Pantry Expands Home Delivery Program To Homebound Residents

SALEM, MA — The Salem Pantry plans to nearly double its home delivery service in 2024 following the recent closure of the North Shore Moving Market to homebound residents in the city.

This move is intended to provide continuity in services and enhance the quality and frequency of
groceries received by homebound residents.

The Salem Pantry said the expansion will grow its home deliveries from about 3,000 in 2023 to an estimated 4,900 deliveries in 2024.

Former Moving Market participants will be switched from a monthly to a weekly delivery model as part of the change. Every home delivery includes a variety of fresh produce, frozen proteins, and key non-perishable items.

"We are thrilled to step in and support members of our community that have previously been a part of North Shore Moving Market's program," stated The Salem Pantry Executive Director Robyn Burns. "We appreciate that the leadership team from North Shore Moving Market reached out to present this concern and were so invested in ensuring that their home delivery community was able to receive ongoing support."

Volunteer drivers from the North Shore Moving Market have committed to helping The Salem Pantry continue to serve its recipients.

"We are incredibly grateful to everyone at The Salem Pantry for coming to our aid at a time when North Shore Moving Market's ability to continue providing home-delivery services would have come to an end," said Matthew Xiarhos, a long-term volunteer and board member. "The Salem Pantry's depth of resources will allow us to provide better quality and quantity of food.

"No words can express our heartfelt gratitude. Our volunteers look forward to working with The Salem Pantry to continue to help those in need."

The Salem Pantry said the development will help streamline operations, make reliable access to food more efficient in Salem and eliminate redundant costs that will make donor contributions go further.

Patch has partnered with Feeding America to help raise awareness on behalf of the millions of Americans facing hunger. Feeding America, which supports 200 food banks across the country, estimates that in 2020, more than 54 million Americans will not have enough nutritious food to eat due to the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.

This is a Patch social good project; Feeding America receives 100 percent of donations.

Find out how you can donate in your community or find a food pantry near you.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)