About
Wellesley
Food Pantry
Thank you for visiting our Wellesley Food Pantry website. You can find information about our location and operations, how to volunteer or donate, and our needs and food drives. We appreciate your interest in our mission of serving members of the Wellesley community who are food insecure or have emergency needs.
Wellesley Food Pantry currently serves approximately 400 clients in about 200 households in town. Of those who come to the pantry for food and personal care products, about a quarter are children (18 years old and younger) and 45% are seniors. The pantry is open every Tuesday afternoon (except for the 5th Tuesday of the month) to welcome clients, and is also open one Tuesday evening per month. The pantry receives no government funding and has no paid staff — it relies solely on volunteers and donations from individuals, businesses, and civic organizations to stock shelves and serve clients.
The pantry has a large food drive the Saturday of Mother’s Day Weekend each May, called Stamp Out Hunger/Postal Food Drive. This drive stocks the pantry’s shelves at a critical time — right before school lets out for the summer when donations tend to drop off and children no longer have access to school lunches.
Throughout the year donations are collected in large bins located at Roche Bros. and Whole Foods Market. The pantry gathers a wide variety of foods and personal care products (toothpaste, soap, shampoo, etc.).
To volunteer at the Wellesley Food Pantry, please use our Volunteer Application Form to apply.
Our Mission
In our belief that it is important to foster a spirit of goodwill and respect within the community, the Food Pantry’s mission is to provide supplemental and emergency food assistance to our Wellesley neighbors.
Our History
The Wellesley Food Pantry opened its doors for the first time in July of 1989. Started by representatives from local houses of worship and initially led by two Wellesley Friendly Aid board members, the Food Pantry grew into a vital organization of committed volunteers with a broad base of community support, including civic organizations, scout troops, schools, area businesses, and concerned individuals, as well as the houses of worship.
Although grateful to Friendly Aid for allowing the Food Pantry to operate under their umbrella for many years, current and former pantry management determined that the right time had finally arrived for the Food Pantry to create its own Board of Directors, knowledgeable in the running of the pantry, to preserve its history and assure its smooth and efficient operation and growth for the future. The Wellesley Food Pantry was incorporated as a Massachusetts nonprofit organization in March of 2011 and received its 501(c)(3) status as a tax-exempt organization in May of the same year.
Contact Us
Questions about food drives should go to fooddrives@wellesleyfoodpantry.org.
Questions about volunteering go to volunteer@wellesleyfoodpantry.org
Questions about the website go to
web@wellesleyfoodpantry.org
Questions about financial donations go to treasurer@wellesleyfoodpantry.org
For all other questions contact us at manager@wellesleyfoodpantry.org.
Our Board
Seana Gupta, President
Janet Horelick, Vice President
Keri Boyle, Communications
Kristy Cunningham, Treasurer
Jan Jurgelon
Terry Moy
Kim O’Donnell
Catherine Russell
Cynthia Scott, Director Emerita
