Salem Pantry Sees High Demand With Food Insecurity At New 'The Market' Location

SALEM, MA — The Salem Pantry's first storefront location is seeing high demand for food and other services since its grand opening on Congress Street last month.

The Market by The Salem Pantry opened on April 22 with 250 households visiting from Salem and other North Shore communities on opening day, and an average of 750 households per week for its free food shopping experience and related outreach efforts.

"We are thrilled to have been able to celebrate this remarkable milestone with our community, including many of our long-term supporters," Executive Director Robyn Burns said. "The Market's success is a testament to the hard work and dedication of everyone involved."

A grand opening ribbon cutting was held on April 21 that included State Sen. Joan Lovely, State Rep. Manny Cruz, Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll, North Shore Community Development Coalition Deputy CEO Felicia Pierce, and Greater Boston Foodbank VP of Community Impact and Operations Jonathan Tetrault, as well as other longtime supporters.

"This is a great day for The Salem Pantry and most importantly for our neighbors in need here in the Salem area that we are all committed to serving," Tetrault said.

The Market opened to visitors the next day with a free "Meet us at the Market" event that allowed area residents to explore the new space, connect with local support organizations, and enjoy food provided by Root.

U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton spoke on food insecurity and the role that projects like The Market play in combatting that at the community event.

"Addressing food insecurity in a collaborative way is key to The Salem Pantry's approach," Burns said. "We are grateful to our many community partners, active volunteers and pantry guests, who have played a key role in the launch of The Market."

The Market is open at a variety of hours throughout the week, including evenings and weekends. In addition, public pop-up pantries are available throughout Salem.

New guests can register upon arrival, and there are no income or residency requirements to receive food.

Go here for more on supporting The Salem Pantry.

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. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)