Salem Pantry To Open 'The Market' Storefront Location In April

SALEM, MA — The Salem Pantry is moving closer toward opening its first brick-and-mortar location in April after seeing the need for its food and nutrition services increase by nearly 50 percent year-over-year.

Director of Programs and Partnerships Mike Lilley said the Pantry is feeding about 800 families a week — up from about 530 families per week at this time last year. While the Pantry has utilized its mobile distribution center to serve the community, the fixed site on Leavitt Street will provide the opportunity for greater food storage as well as nutritional and community resources services for those in need.

"In January alone, we distributed food to nearly 4,000 individual people," Lilley said. "The need for reliable food isn't decreasing in our community.

"At the Pantry, we are committed to reliably providing fresh and healthy food to our community. The Market is another way we seek to uphold that commitment."

The Market will be open five days per week, including weekend and night hours, and will serve as The Salem Pantry's main distribution point for convenient, no-cost shopping for produce, dairy, protein and non-perishable items.

Once opened, the Salem Pantry will partner with The Salem Skipper municipal ride-share program and the Salem Council on Aging to provide transportation to the storefront location.

The mobile distribution program will continue as well.

The Salem Pantry can be reached here.

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.)