The Island of MV is absolutely teeming with food resources. No Islander, summer resident or visitor should ever go hungry. These are just a few of the Island’s offerings. For a more complete list, please follow this link to Martha’s Vineyard Community Services:
Food Resources during COVID-19
Island organizations have come together to support individuals, families and seniors during this difficult time. Below is a list of resources available by category.
For questions or assistance accessing the resources listed below, please contact 508-693-7900 x410
FREE GROCERY DISTRIBUTION PROGRAMS/FOOD PANTRIES
Food Baskets MV/Good Shepherd Parish
Distribution of bags of protein and produce on at the parish hall opposite the Oak Bluffs library.
Upcoming dates:
The first and third Saturday of each month in Oak Bluffs
The fourth Friday of the month in Vineyard Haven
Location:
Parish Hall (opposite OB Library)
55 School Street, Oak Bluffs
Bags of non-perishables such as pasta, rice, beans etc. are also available
outside of the above distribution dates. Please
contact Joe Capobianco 508-696-1948 to coordinate delivery or pick up.
Island Food Pantry
The Island Food Pantry is open regular hours and will provide pre-packed grocery bags for easy pickups.
Hours:
Saturdays 10am-12pm
Mondays 2-4
Wednesdays 2-4pm
Location:
89 William St
Vineyard Haven, MA 02568
If you are home-bound or self-quarantining, please get in touch for food delivery by emailing delivery@islandfoodpantry.org
MV Family Center Food Pantry
MV Community Services MV Family Center’s food pantry remains available to families by appointment.
Please email mvfamilycenter@gmail.com or call 508-687-9182 to schedule an appointment.
Serving Hands Food Distribution
The next Serving Hands Food Distribution will take place on Friday, August 28th.
Friday August 28th
ONE location for pick-up:
Vineyard Haven -First Baptiste Church Parish Hall
(cars need to go to St. Augustine’s and we will send cars down a
few at a time to avoid causing traffic build-up)
Questions? Contact Alicia at anicholson@mvcommunityservices.org
Please note bags are available on a first-come first serve basis. Please do not arrive early.
Wampanoag Tribal Emergency Food
The Wampanoag Tribal Food Pantry is temporarily closed. Tribal members experiencing a food emergency should email Jennifer Randolph at wcm@wampanoagtribe-nsn.gov or call the 24-hour line 508-955-9164
ISLAND GROWN INITIATIVE
Island Grown Initiative’s
Community Lunch Program
July 6 – August 14, Monday – Friday
Island Grown Initiative’s Community Lunch Program provides free meals to go
for Island students in need of summer food support. Contact igicommunitylunch@gmail.com for more information
or to sign up.
Island Grown Initiative Mobile
Market
The mobile market is
a truck stocked with affordable, locally grown fruits and vegetables. The
mission of the market is to expand healthy food access for all in our
community, with a focus on islanders who participate in food assistance
programs.
The mobile market accepts cash, check, credit cards, Pandemic EBT (P-EBT), SNAP/HIP, Farmer’s Market Nutrition Program, Senior and WIC Coupons, and Mobile Market Coupons.
Mass Pandemic-Electronic Benefits Transfer Card (P-EBT Program)
The P-EBT program provides additional food support for students who would have received free or reduced-price meals if not for the school closures from COVID-19. This includes any student in a school that provides free meals to all students.
Families will get $5.70 per student per day for every day school is closed to buy food.
Families receiving DTA benefits will get their benefits on their existing EBT card. Families not currently receiving DTA benefits will be mailed a new P-EBT card. Using P-EBT benefits does not impact your or your child’s immigration status. The Public Charge rule does not apply to P-EBT benefits.
Learn more about P-EBT program HERE.
SENIOR MEAL PROGRAMS
The Anchors is preparing and delivering meals to 55+ Edgartown residents in need of meals on Wednesday afternoons. Contact Meris if a home-delivered meal would be helpful. Deliveries include five frozen soups.
Meris Keating
508-627-4368
mkeating@edgartown-ma.us
All recipients need to apply for benefits, and must meet age and income guidelines. Meals on Wheels offers up to 7 meal deliveries per week.
To begin Meals on wheels Contact Information & Referral at 1-800-224-44630 or 508-394-4630.
During this time: Meals on Wheels continues to deliver Monday-Friday between 10-12. Volunteers will not be entering the homes of
clients. They will knock and leave the meal outside for the elder to retrieve.
Already receiving this service and have questions? Contact Elder Services of
Cape and Islands to learn more
508-693-4393 x190 or x192
GOVERNMENT ASSISTED PROGRAMS
SNAP (Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program)
WIC (Women, Infants and Children)
Mass Pandemic-Electronic Benefits Transfer Card Program
GROCERY DELIVERY OPTIONS:
Vineyard Grocer is offering curbside grocery delivery.
CLICK here to order or call 508-693-2000
2019 FOOD PROGRAMS AFFILIATED WITH ST. ANDREW’S
EDGARTOWN COMMUNITY SUPPERS
Sponsored by The UMC of MV, Served at S. Andrew’s
Winter of 2019
In 2019, the Edgartown Community Suppers remained at St. Andrews Church. We cooked upstairs in the Parish House, but served dinner in the basement. This division made for a lot of creative juggling and provided volunteers with their daily exercise. The suppers began this year on January 6 and ran until March 30, for a total of 13 dinners.
Not counting volunteers, we served an average of 30 people at the church with a high of 45 and a low of 15. We also provided between 4 to 8 meals for the Tuesday night HOG program. Putting all those numbers together, it looks like we served about people 450 in the course of the winter.
Our meals consist of a vegetarian soup, a meat entree, lots of bread, regular salad, fruit salad and dessert. As much as possible, the food is made on the day rather than store bought which is both less expensive and better tasting. We give away any donated food that we do not use and any food that is left over.
As always with a church program, it would not have happen without the incredible commitment and hard work of a group of very loyal volunteers, Annette Anthony (Serve Safe), Phil Dietterich, Liza Lucier (Serve Safe), and Mary Spencer. There are also my unseen prep cooks John Dropick and Claire Thacher who turn up to mince and prep for two hours and then vanish so one really knows how hard they work. The United Methodist Society provides funds and The Rotary Club of MV continued to provide both volunteers and funds.
We are very grateful to St. Andrews for allowing us to use their buildings and by supporting our efforts by attending many of our suppers. Father Chip, their minister, is there almost every Monday to say grace for the meal.
We also want to thank all those who have supported us this year with donations. These contributions include gifts in kind from The Boston Food Bank, Island Food Products and Stop and Shop as well as financial support from the United Methodist Society, the Rotary Club of Martha’s Vineyard and all those who contribute via the donation box at the suppers, allowing the supper to finish the year in the black.
Respectfully submitted
Elizabeth Villard (Serve Safe)
Community Suppers every night, January – March
Monday 5:30 PM St. Andrew’s Church, Edgartown (508) 627-5330
Tuesday 5:30 PM Chilmark Community Church, Chilmark (508) 645-3100
Wednesday 5:30 PM West Tisbury Church, West Tisbury (through April)
(508) 639-2842
Thursday 5:00 PM St Augustine’s Church, Vineyard Haven (508)693-0103
Fridays 5:30 PM First Baptist Church, Vineyard Haven (508) 693-1539
Saturday 5:30 PM Trinity Parish House, Oak Bluffs (508) 693-4424
Sunday 12:30 PM Federated Church, Edgartown (508) 627-4421
SUMMER FOOD PROGRAM 2019
It became apparent that many of the Island children benefit greatly from the meals that they receive at school during the year. Many families struggle with the high cost of housing, the seasonal economy, and the additional cost of transporting necessities to an island, among others factors. It became apparent that summer vacation caused a gap in the meal program resource. St Andrew’s played a valuable role in bringing Ruth Campbell, who had set up these programs on Cape Cod, to the Vineyard to assist in implementing a Summer Lunch Program. Through her guidance, we now have a six-week program that is designed to meet the needs of our kids at various locations throughout the Island. It then became apparent that we have another group of Senior citizens that may benefit from a daily lunch, who are financially challenged living on a fixed income, and need to cut back on food purchases. We then opened the program to anyone who felt a need to partake.
St Andrew’s has historically volunteered to work with the Boys and Girls Club because it is in Edgartown, thus we feed only children at that location, five days a week for six weeks, although some of our volunteers work at the High School kitchen, where the meals are prepared and distributed.
It is a challenge to fill all the spots necessary and we partner with The Federated Church to meet the sixty plus vacancies that confronts us. It was a tad terrifying at the beginning and yet, some wonderful parishioners came through to make last summer’s program very successful and fun.
Thank you so much to all who participated. Your caring, patience, and the gift of your energy and time mean so much.
Mardi Moran
GOOD SHEPHERD FOOD PROGRAM 2019
Through a grant from the Greater Boston Food Bank and generous supporters, St Andrew’s among them, we purchased a free-standing freezer to augment the refrigerator we purchased last year. This has enabled us to have meats, soups, and other frozen foods as well as fruits, dairy products, and vegetables to distribute to those groups that can accommodate them. We bring food to Community Services Head Start and Early Childhood Programs, the Boys and Girls Club, the Oak Bluffs School, The Coast Guard Wives Program, some identified Island families, and some Island libraries. Last year, we gave away 75,000 pounds of food. In December alone, we fed 1,031 children, adults and Seniors.
We realized that there are some Senior citizens and others, who could use our help, so we initiated a program where we distribute food twice a month at the Good Shepherd Parish Center. At the last gathering, we had over 70 people partake of the offerings, expecting that those numbers will increase. We find that the numbers ebb and flow as the seasons change. There is a much smaller audience as Summer approaches and people are able to find work. When businesses close in the Autumn and jobs become scarce, we see an uptick in our numbers. It has become obvious that people want to be independent and when they can get by on their own, they do so. Some of our recipients report that they are paying about 70% of their take home pay to housing expense, even when they work year-round and have regular housing from October to May.
Our dedicated group of volunteers, known as Our Angels, come weekly to help either fill bags that are brought to the Boys and Girls Club or help with our twice monthly distributions are: Connie Alexander, Nancy Billings, Anne and John Cummings, Donna Joyce, Anne Magnesio, Barbara Murphy, Muriel O’Rourke, Tim Rush, Hazel Teagan, Pat White, and Sharon Willoughby. They are a delightful and resourceful bunch. Kimberly Burke and her daughter, Bianca, help us on Saturday distribution.
We are also assisted by Joe Capobianco, our Coordinator, who orders the food, drives the truck and picks up the food in Harwich, MA. He is our liaison to The Greater Boston Food Bank, who provides us with so much food at incredibly reduced prices. Poli Bellan Wilson is our Social Media guru, who publicizes our events, and amazes us with her proficiency. Janay Dlabaj works with Joe to organize inventory, write necessary reports, distribute food and charm us with her two young daughters. I am in charge of grant writing and soliciting new distribution sites.
Mardi Moran
