United Way Needs Volunteers for Food Pantry & Hot Meals Program

In full transparency, the following is a press release submitted to SOURCE media for publication.

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FRAMINGHAM – United Way of Tri-County’s Pearl Street Cupboard & Café food pantry and hot meals program in downtown Framingham is in urgent need of volunteers, several shifts available.
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Shifts include:

• Monday – Friday 9 to 1 p.m. in the food pantry
• Monday – Friday 1 to 4 p.m. helping pre-bag groceries
• Monday – Friday noon to 4 p.m. packaging desserts and other items
• Monday – Friday 9 to 1p.m. for administrative assistance

Volunteers must register for a shift online at www.uwotc.org/volunteer and click the “Framingham Direct Services” button. Then select the date and shift that works best. If you can only work a 2 to 3-hour shift, make that notation in the comments section.

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On March 1, the Pearl Street Café will re-open for sit-down evening meals. Closed since March of 2020 due to COVID, the Café has been providing hot meals five nights a week for take-out only. Volunteers will be needed from 4:45pm to 7:15 p.m.

The Pearl Street Café can accommodate up to 115 guests. More details about the Café reopening are coming soon.

“There are so many more families needing help due to the current economy, and, with expanded services at Pearl Street Cupboard & Café, additional volunteers are needed to support the volume. We cannot do what we do in the community without our dedicated volunteers,” said Barbara LaGrenade, Director of Volunteerism.

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Daily breakfast is served Monday through Friday from 9 to 10 a.m., and lunches are available seven days a week noon to 1 p.m. These meals will remain as a take-out service only as staff and volunteers begin ramping up for sit down meals again.

The Pearl Street Cupboard & Café at Park began serving residents of Framingham in 2012 and has expanded programming steadily, now including all MetroWest communities and beyond. On average the program serves more than 3,800 hot meals from the Café and 2,800 individuals at the food pantry each month, distributing over 229,000 pounds of food.

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