American Red Cross
ARCTAN
American Red Cross Team And Network of MIT

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Overview

We organize monthly trips to the Massachusetts Bay chapter of the Red Cross Food Pantry. The Massachusetts Bay chapter is the largest food pantry in the greater Boston area. It aims to provide food to families in need, who can come once a month to get a three-day emergency supply of food. It provides food to over 3000 low-income clients per month, and more than 71,000 people annually. In the past, MIT volunteers have beaten all the other volunteer groups in efficiency and speed. It is usually a lot of fun. However, be prepared to work, because we often end up working non-stop for the entire time when lots of people come to the food pantry! Volunteers will help distribute food to clients, prepare bags for distribution, computer assistance with the client database, translation for non-English speakers, expediting food delivery, and other projects.

If you have questions about this program or want to volunteer, please email Stéphane Ricoult.

Dates

Saturday October 17
Saturday November 21
(more dates coming soon)

What do we do?

The assigned tasks at the food pantry change every time, but there are several basic jobs possible:

1) Making food bags - Three kinds of "food bags" need to be prepared before and while people are coming into the pantry to get their food.
There are wet bags, which contain dairy products, meat/fish, and vegetables/fruit.
There are also dry bags (cereal, pasta, rice, etc.) and can bags. The content of the bags varies depending on what products are donated to the pantry.
2) Computers - People need to register with proper identification when they come in. The computers help ensure that people only come once a month and are eligible to receive food.
3) Distributing food - Once people have registered, they receive a card with the number of people in their family on it. This card indicates how many bags of each kind they should get.
4) Any other task that needs to be accomplished.

The trips to the Food Pantry are on Saturdays from 7:30-12:15PM. We meet inside or outside Lobby 7 depending on the weather, and take the #1 Bus towards Boston at 7:45. We will pay for your bus fare there and back.

How do I get started?

Check your e-mail or the website for the next food pantry trip organized by ARCTAN. Email Stéphane Ricoult for more information.

Volunteering on your own

The Food Pantry is open on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 9AM-12PM. The pantry is located at 1033 Mass Ave, in Roxbury. To get there, take the #1 bus towards Boston and get off at the Back Bay Medical Center. Keep walking along Mass Ave until you get to 1033 (about 10-15 minutes). You should contact David Andre ahead of time so they know you are coming.

For more information, contact arctan-info@mit.edu.
For questions about the website, please contact the webmaster.

Last updated August 25th, 2008.