Tewksbury Community Pantry

"People Helping People"
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS & HELPFUL INFORMATION PAGE

 

    For further information or pricing please contact us via phone, fax or e-mail. 

 

 

Welcome to the Tewksbury Community Pantry

Frequently Asked Questions & Helpful Info Page


 

 

2020 Distribution Dates:

 

What does a typical food distribution consist of? The typical Pantry's monthly food offering and amounts consists of the food items similar to those shown below in the carriage.

Monthly food allotment

 

Where can I obtain an application?
* The Pantry Building during distribution (scroll up to calendar for days and times)
* Any Tewksbury Church
* Tewksbury Public Library
* The Town Clerk's Office at the Town Hall
* The Senior Citizen's Center on Chandler Street

For a 2020 printable application please CLICK HERE for a PDF format.

How do I qualify to come to the Pantry?
If you are a Tewksbury resident, and you need some assistance, you qualify.  You should print a copy of the application and fill it out to bring it, with your license listing your Tewksbury address, and a current utility bill with you to the next Distribution, see the calendar above for distribution dates and times.
You may not qualify for all assistance – USDA and MEFAP programs require that you meet certain income guidelines, but we recognize that many people live month-to-month and can require some temporary assistance.

I don't have transportation, can the Pantry deliver my food? Unfortunately the Pantry is run by 100% volunteer help and does not have the means to deliver food. A suggestion would be to contact "The Mobile Pantry" in Lowell at 978-454-7174 or www.mvfb.org as they may be able to help.

How can I volunteer at the Pantry?
If you are interested in volunteering at the Pantry, you should either send an e-mail to volunteer@tewksburypantry.org or call the Pantry 978-858-2273 to arrange a time to help out.  There are several things that you can do to help, but it needs to be coordinated in advance. 

What is involved in Organizing a Food Drive?
We like to plan the food drives in advance, so it would be helpful to either call the Pantry 978-858-2273 or send an e-mail to volunteer@tewksburypantry.org to decide when it is best to plan your food drive. Also see our see our "Host a Food Drive" page.

I would like to make a personal donation to the Pantry, how do I go about doing this?
People decide to give in different ways. 
Monetary donations can be sent to Tewksbury Community Pantry, 999 Whipple Road, Tewksbury, MA 01876 or to make an online donation please CLICK HERE.  You should receive an acknowledgement of your gift within a month.  Our Tax ID is 04-3280846.  Donations of money allow us to purchase food and supplies for the monthly distribution.

Small amount of Food donations can be dropped in the box at the front of the pantry.  PLEASE remember to CHECK EXPIRATION DATES.  It is the first thing that the receiving volunteers will do, and we will have to throw away any food that is beyond its expiration date.

Large amount of Food donations should be coordinated either through the calling the Pantry 978-858-2273 or send an e-mail to info@tewksburypantry.org to make sure that we have someone there to receive the donation.  PLEASE remember to CHECK EXPIRATION DATES

I’m looking for a service project for my group (Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, CCD, etc).
We think that it’s wonderful that you are considering offering assistance at the Pantry.  Often we can have children come to the pantry to help out, but it requires some planning in advance.  It is generally best when there are 10 children or less, and we do need to have someone that can host the group.  Please either send an e-mail to volunteer@tewksburypantry.org or call the Pantry 978-858-2273 to arrange a time to help out.

There are also other things that these groups can do to brighten the lives of our clients. 

  • Rachel’s Challenge group raised money for the pantry during a flag football game between students and teachers
  • Girl Scout Troup 1110 bake 111 dozen cookies at Christmas time. 
  • Tewkbury Garden Club donates a wreath for the Pantry door at Xmas time and recently made a monetary donation
  • The Tewksbury Library hosts a Food for Fines event that brings a lot of food into the pantry
  • Tewkbury School System – bring a can if you can food drive
  • Remax has donated Coats for the children of clients, and $
  • Recently a family hosted an Open House at Christmas, and they had people bring gift certificates – they arranged for Hannaford’s to match the certificates that were donated.
  • Eagle Scout projects – Landscaping around the pantry, etc.
  • High School Art Class painted a mural on the wall to help brighten up the place
  • The fundraiser dinner/silent auction that was organized by a couple of women from town.
  • Crystal’s store donated their walk-in refrigerator & freezer after their move to the new location
  • The churches are always very generous with their collections on Sundays.
  • The builders and people of Tewksbury donated generously to allow us to double the size of the pantry in 2006, and we thank everyone that was involved in that effort.

 

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Tewksbury Community Pantry, Inc.
999 Whipple Road
Tewksbury, MA 01876

978-858-2273