Partner Spotlight: Neighbors in Need, Lawrence

Neighbors in Need has provided food to the people of Greater Lawrence for more than 40 years, and today its demand is the highest in its history - an average of 1,600 households  per week. 
One of the larger members of the Lower Merrimack Valley Food Coalition, they have a staff of 13, including five full-timers, more than 400 volunteers and their own refrigerated box truck for deliveries. Despite these resources, they have faced many of the same challenges as the smaller providers, particularly with dry and cold storage.
At their headquarters inside an old mill building at 60 Island St. in Lawrence, boxes are stacked 10 high because shelving often takes up too much space. The commercial refrigerator is no different.
"We're serving more people than ever before," says Executive Director Lisa Smith. "Food goes out of our warehouse as fast as it comes in, but there are times we need added storage for Thanksgiving and other things. There's just not enough space to store it."
For them, the Seacoast Regional Food Hub is a game-changer. When they collected more than 600 turkeys to distribute over Thanksgiving, they stored the excess in the Hub's school-bus-side industrial freezer. Other staples were stored in their dedicated section of the warehouse.
The Hub has improved their ability to access their food supply as well. Last year the organization distributed more than 1 million pounds of food to 10 different locations across Lawrence, Methuen and Andover, including six mobile markets. By receiving their Greater Boston Food Bank deliveries at the Hub with pallets that are wheeled on and off, they have shaved 50 percent off their transportation time and vehicle wear and tear
Like every provider, Neighbors in Need has its own unique model to how they serve. They provide each family a bag of healthy and fresh food, including fresh produce, frozen protein and a bakery/dairy item, along with staples. Another cornerstone of their programs is diapers and infant formula for 700 children a month Just last year they distributed more than 200,000 diapers and 56,000 bottles of formula, as well as wipes and other items.
And as the need grows, Lisa hopes the Seacoast Regional Food Hub will pay even more dividends.
"We hope to connect on more, like capturing surplus food and additional produce," she says. "We're looking forward to all of it."
Without more community support, ONT cannot continue to grow its reach. All of the region's providers are seeing record use of their services. Can you help us get the Hub funded so we can continue to scale our work and meet the growing demand?

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