Share This Article
Barbara Fisher of Sudbury has been named chair of the board of directors of Open Table, a Maynard-based organization that offers healthy and culturally-appropriate foods through a food pantry and a prepared meals program. In addition, newly-elected to the Open Table board are Sudbury residents Jill Bradford and Megan Chambers. Fisher discusses the Open Table program.
1 — What does Open Table do, how many people does it serve, and what geographic area is covered?
Open Table is a food relief organization that offers fresh groceries and prepared meals to residents in 21 communities surrounding Concord and Maynard, including the Town of Sudbury. We operate a drive through program at our main site in Maynard where people pick up food two days a week. We also have a variety of delivery programs, both to individuals and partner organizations, because we know that many people can’t get to downtown Maynard.
We serve a diverse population including many children and families, people with health and medical issues, and seniors. We regularly ask our clients for feedback to ensure that our food meets their dietary or cultural needs and is not wasted. Our goal is to provide nutritious food in a welcoming environment.
Open Table is not a “typical” food pantry. We make a special effort to offer fresh and nutritious options to all of our clients. Every week, our pantry distributes bags of groceries, which include milk, eggs, fresh produce, meat and vegetarian proteins, cheese, yogurt, baked goods, and shelf-stable products. Open Table is also unique because we have a commercial kitchen, where we prepare between 1200-1400 meals every week. This is important for many of our clients who are not able to cook.
Last year, with the help of more than 500 volunteers, we distributed over 70,000 meals and 817,000 pounds of groceries to people in 21 communities. As we celebrate our 35th year, we are proud of the recognition we have received for our work in our community. We are ranked as a strategic partner of the Greater Boston Food Bank, we received a Rotary Club Award, a Points of Light Service Enterprise Certification for Volunteer Excellence, and a Guidestar platinum rating for transparency of organization information.
2 — How did Open Table get started and how is it funded?
Open Table was founded in 1989 by Concord resident Margie Goud Patterson after she became aware of the people in her town who were going hungry. It started by serving weekly dinners in the First Parish Church in Concord. From the beginning, Open Table has believed in serving every individual with dignity. Unlike most other food relief programs of the time, Open Table was open to all, requiring no proof of need.
Soon after opening, the need for groceries became apparent and an ad hoc pantry was developed to distribute bags of food. Storage soon became an issue at the church, and warehouse space was donated by the Town of Concord. A second location was established in Maynard in 2006. Open Table quickly outgrew its location in the Maynard Congregational Church and was invited to use space in the Clock Tower Place (now known as Mill & Main) in Maynard.
As Open Table expanded, it became crucial for the organization to have a permanent location in which it could create meals, store fresh produce, distribute packaged foods and base new programs. In 2017, Open Table purchased, retrofitted, and renovated a building on Main Street in Maynard. The Maynard facility includes an industrial kitchen and a grocery-store style food pantry with ample refrigeration and freezer space.
Open Table’s work is made possible by generous individual and family donors, corporate partners, and grant funding from philanthropic and government organizations. Approximately 75% of the food that we distribute is donated or provided in-kind at no cost. Our largest food provider is the Greater Boston Food Bank.
3 — How great is the need for food support in the Metrowest area? Is that need increasing or decreasing?
In recent years, Open Table has seen a significant increase in demand for our food relief services. In the past 12 months, Open table has distributed 22% more grocery items, and 39% more prepared meals compared with the previous year. Our experience reflects statewide trends in food insecurity.
Every year, the Greater Boston Food Bank publishes its report: Food Equity and Access in Massachusetts. This year’s report finds that during 2023, food insecurity remained high in Massachusetts, with approximately 1.9 million adults, or 34% of the state’s households, reporting household food insecurity. Child-level food insecurity is a big concern as well. This past year, 1 in 3 households with children in Massachusetts experienced child-level food insecurity, meaning that a child was hungry, skipped a meal, or did not eat for a full day because there was not enough money to buy food.
Many Open Table clients report the high cost of food as a major factor in their need for assistance. According to a recent study by Consumer Affairs, Massachusetts experienced the sixth-highest grocery price increase in the country (6.6%) in the past 12 months. Households experiencing food insecurity reported that, on average, they needed $60 more per week—a difference of about $2,000 a year. Open Table recognizes that the high cost of food, as well as other expenses such as housing, medical, and childcare costs, have a major impact on the families we serve. Open Table is committed to helping our neighbors meet their food needs as they juggle their financial demands.
4 — How did you first become involved with Open Table?
I started volunteering at Open Table in the fall of 2019 after I retired from a position as Senior Vice President at UMass Medical Center in Worcester. Having worked in the healthcare field, I feel very strongly about taking care of those in our community. Food insecurity has a significant impact on health status, so it seemed natural to volunteer with an organization which has such a clear impact on the health of our community. Helping with food and meal distribution allowed me to meet many of Open Table’s clients and see the significant impact that our food distribution has on their lives. I also helped Open Table expand its prepared meals program and partnerships with neighboring organizations, which naturally led into an interest in serving on the Open Table board of directors.
Since joining the Open Table board in July of 2021, I have been able to use my background in finance, strategy, program expansion, and operations to support Open Table’s mission to address hunger in our communities by providing healthy food in a welcoming environment while respecting the dignity and diversity of those served.
5 — Do you envision any changes in the way Open Table operates? What new initiatives are on the horizon?
In 2022, Open Table purchased a building at 39 Main Street in Maynard that is adjacent to our existing food pantry and office. The space is currently being renovated and is scheduled to open this fall. Used for food storage and refrigeration, the new space will nearly double the amount of food Open Table can keep onsite. This will allow us to meet the growing demand we are experiencing and more efficiently distribute food through our drive-through pantry and delivery programs.
6 — How can interested people help Open Table?
Volunteers are crucial to all operations of the Open Table food pantry, and they fill a variety of roles. Every week, our dedicated volunteers provide 340 hours of service for Open Table, filling 170 different shifts, 6 days a week. They work in our food pantry sorting food donations, slice and dice ingredients in the kitchen, pack grocery bags, pick up donations at farms and markets, break down cardboard boxes for recycling, take client orders over the phone, direct traffic during our drive-through hours, wheel grocery carts out to cars, and more! We also have a network of transportation volunteers who pack and deliver food to partner organizations or individual households. Other volunteers work behind the scenes on committees, provide administrative support, paint murals on our front windows, or are out in the community representing Open Table at events.
For more information about Open Table, including volunteer opportunities please visit: opentable.org