Meals for Poor & Homeless Women & their Children

The Food Program at Rosie’s Place is designed to meet the urgent, emergency needs of poor and homeless women. It is critical to helping women improve their health, both mental and physical: Rosie’s Place uses a holistic approach to health and wellbeing that includes addressing food insecurity, access to healthcare providers, and mental health support. When our basic needs for food, shelter, and safety are not met, we cannot address our social and emotional health, much less develop long-term plans around housing and employment. This is why Rosie’s Place provides access to emergency services, with the Food Program as our cornerstone.

Food insecurity is a growing concern: Boston is one of the most expensive cities in the U.S. and with rents among the highest in the nation residents are facing a dearth of affordable housing options[1]. At the same time, inflated prices in grocery stores have led to a widespread food crisis, where one in three adults across Massachusetts are unsure whether they can buy enough food for themselves and their children. Food insecurity is even higher among people of color and LGBTQ+ individuals.[2] Among elderly individuals across the state, 70% do not have enough income to cover essential expenses and are at risk of homelessness. Almost half (45%) of older couples are in the same situation.[3]

Our Dining Room is the beating heart of Rosie’s Place—where women and their children come for nourishment, friendship, and support—and where 150,000 healthy meals are served to our community. Every single day of the year, our kitchen prepares fresh, healthy, culturally inclusive meals for any guest who is hungry, for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. For those guests that choose to sit in the Dining Room rather than take their food to-go, we serve meals at their tables, in the style of a restaurant. Every meal includes fresh fruit and every dinner includes fresh vegetables.

For guests with housing but who are struggling to put food on the table, our Food Pantry provides nutritious groceries including fresh produce, meat/protein, and shelf-stable staples. Guests can come once a week to receive two bags of newly packed food: one filled with fresh produce and protein, the other packed with at least seven pantry items that help guests and their families meet daily nutritional needs. These two bags feed at least two people for three days. In the Pantry, we also distribute care packages (self-care products and household goods) assembled by volunteers in the community. Our Pantry serves up to 350 women per day, Monday to Friday.

We are so grateful for your generosity, with your support our Food Programs have risen to the challenges brought on by increased demand at Rosie’s Place. With access to our Dining Room and Food Pantry, many women and their families can stretch their paycheck, avoid eviction, and stay in their homes.

[1] Andrew Brinker, “Massachusetts is the third most expensive state in the US to rent a home.” Boston Globe. June 14, 2023. https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/06/14/business/income-to-afford-2-bedroom-apartment-in-massachusetts/?p1=StaffPage&p1=Article_Inline_Text_Link

[2] Ruggiero CF, Luo M, Lynn CD, Adams K, Murtha C, Taitelbaum D, Tienken C, Fiechtner L. Opportunities to Improve Food Equity and Access in Massachusetts: Ending Hunger—Together: The Greater Boston Food Bank, 2023. See also https://www.gbfb.org/news/press-releases/2023-food-equity-access-report/

[3] Weisman, Robert. ‘I have to take my time.’ Growing old in Boston without much money is an everyday stress test.’ Boston Globe. Saturday, March 25, 2023. https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/03/25/metro/i-have-take-my-time-growing-old-boston-without-much-money-is-an-everyday-stress-test/.

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In just the past year, Rosie’s Place’s Dining Room and Food Pantry has served more than 12,000 poor and homeless women and an estimated 5,000 children. At Rosie’s Place our goal is to provide low-barrier access to healthy, culturally varied meals and groceries through our Dining Room and Food Pantry. We do everything we can to respond quickly to the changing needs of the women we serve and food has continued to be an urgent need for our guests. The Food Program has experienced increased demand, year after year, since the start of the pandemic.

Our Dining Room, or what many call the “heart” of Rosie’s Place, welcomes any woman in need of a meal, 365 days of the year. We have a talented, Paris-trained chef who creates well-balanced meals that are culturally varied and delicious. We use a restaurant style model and do everything in our power to make guests feel welcome. Over the past year the Dining Room served 152,000healthy, hearty meals – a 47% increase from last year. On average, we served more than 400 meals each day. This included 45,264 breakfasts, 54,075 lunches (a 53% increase from last year), 37,000 dinners, and 15,574 brunch or holiday meals.

Guests who visit our Food Pantry can take home groceries that feed at least two adults for 3 days. They are welcome to visit the Pantry weekly and we are open Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. until we are out of food or have served 350 women. This year, the Pantry held more than 74,000 visits, serving a total of 8,300 unique women, which is 22% more women than last year. Similar to the previous year, we are averaging 303 visits each day. Each woman who visits the Pantry receives a bag of fresh produce with a protein (rotated weekly, whenever possible) and a bag of pantry staples and household goods (from toiletries to cleaning supplies). Based on past surveys, we estimate that we serve approximately 1,000 children through the Dining Room and 4,000 children in our guests’ homes through the Pantry.

We are so grateful for your support of the Food Program at Rosie’s Place through GlobalGiving. Because of you, we can provide hope for those who need a lifeline.

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