Ann Coska knows despite the well-cared-for lawns and gracious homes, hunger lurks in West Roxbury, the most suburban of all Boston neighborhoods.
The petite 74-year-old, who lives in a tidy apartment with her six rescued cats, had for years depended on the Roslindale Congregational Church’s food pantry. When she was told the pantry could only serve Roslindale residents, she was relieved to learn from friends in the same situation the May Institute on Centre Street distributed food.
While she receives food stamps, she said the high-quality staples she picked up at the institute were invaluable.
“Every bit counts … because prices are rising so fast,” she said Monday.
As felines Douglas and Oliver lay in the sun outside her small kitchen, Coska, who is physically disabled, recalled the frustration she felt when after three visits, she learned the facility’s pantry was another dead end – albeit temporarily. Told there was no longer a delivery driver to pick up bundles from the Greater Boston Food Bank (GBFB), Coska learned the institute could only distribute whatever food it received as donations.
Never giving up, she called for two months to see whether or not the facility’s cupboards were bare and also reached out to Mayor Thomas Menino’s office.
As Coska searched for help and answers, staffers at the institute were also worried and looking for a solution.
“They rely on us a lot,” said administrative manager Brooke Ferraro
According to Ferraro, the institute received numerous phone calls from those in need, hoping the situation had improved.
Seated at her desk in a modest office, Ferraro explained the woman in charge of the pantry deliveries had recently become seriously ill and was hospitalized. In the interim, a plan was developed for another staff member to take her place because paperwork must be filled out at each facility receiving bundles from the GBFB. They anticipate the pantry will be running as normal with regular deliveries again by the end of August, if not earlier.
In the meantime, Ferraro said the institute would gladly accept either monetary or food donations.
“We would love it … for all of our clients and our residents. … I know they would appreciate it,” she said.
Erin Caron, the GBFB’s public relations coordinator, is glad that now food will flow again to the May Institute.
“I’m very relieved. … We don’t want any of our agencies to lack food,” she said.
While Coska said, “I’m very, very glad … relieved,” when she learned there would be a new driver, she said she hopes a situation like this never develops again. The retired medical social worker said she knows a surprising number of people in West Roxbury who rely on food pantries and are in need.
To make a food or monetary donation, checks may be written to the May Institute Food Pantry, 2020 Centre St., West Roxbury, 02132. You can also speak with the institute’s receptionist about making donations at 617-325-6700.