Wecolme to the Community- Villagers Resourceful Links
It all begins with an idea, a feelings to Support Community Villagers with resources that will Empower you & your families to feel hopeful & United.
Food Sources for Youth:
The City of Boston launched its Boston Eats program on July 6th, providing breakfast and lunch to youth aged 18 and younger. No ID or registration required. Sites are open from 10am-2pm and a full map of locations can be found here.
Boston Public Schools will provide free meal packs with 5 breakfasts and 5 lunches to all remote learners from their Super Sites, which are open Monday and Thursday 10am-6pm. For a list of Super Site locations around the city, Boston Public Schools.
To see what food access is being provided by your child’s public, private, charter or Metco school, visit the Boston School Finder’s comprehensive list.
The Pandemic-EBT food access benefit has been extended until the end of the school year. Remote and hybrid students that would receive free lunch at school are eligible. Funds are loaded, on the 25th of each month, onto your P-EBT card or your SNAP card. For more information, or to replace a lost card, visit the P-EBT website.
Food Delivery:
If you or a loved one have a chronic illness, you may be eligible for free meal preparation and delivery from Community Servings.
Ethos is offering a Meals on Wheels program for individuals 60 and older. For more information visit their website.
If you’re not low-income but looking for food delivery, Food For Free has compiled a list of grocery delivery options.
SNAP Food Assistance:
If you lost wages due to the COVID-19 outbreak, you may now be eligible for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Click here to apply. To receive assistance applying for SNAP benefits, visit the Greater Boston Food Bank’s website.
SNAP benefits can be used to have seasonal produce delivered from local farms. They do not charge SNAP customers a delivery fee. Find more information and order at: www.massfooddelivery.com.
If you receive SNAP benefits, then you have Healthy Incentives Program (HIP) dollars to spend. About Fresh accepts HIP dollars at their re-launched safer FreshTruck produce markets in some Boston neighborhoods. You can find the schedule and location of the markets here.
A pilot program has launched to allow the use of SNAP funds to purchase groceries online in Massachusetts. Currently, Amazon and Walmart are the only retailers in MA accepting SNAP funds through their websites. SNAP funds do not cover the cost of delivery.
College students struggling to afford food may be eligible for SNAP assistance. Most low income college students who meet any of the following conditions are eligible: attend community college, or were awarded work-study or a MassGrant, or have an Expected Family Contribution of $0. Students can apply for SNAP online through DTAConnect.
Breastfeeding Support
https://bostonbreastfeeding.weebly.com/support-groups.html
Mondays @2pm-4pm
Virtual : Codman Square Health Center Baby Café
In-Person PAUSED in response to COVID-19
Register here for Monday Codman Baby Cafe
Tuesdays @ 11am-1pm
Women-Centered Healing BIPOC Community
In-Person PAUSED in response to COVID-19
Register here for Women-Centered Healing Community
Wednesdays @5pm-7pm
Register here for Wednesday Codman Baby Cafe
Dominique Bellegarde, CLC, CLE
Keyla Kelley, CLC
Jenny Weaver RN, IBCLC
(857)-301-8259
Learn more!
Thursdays @1030am-12pm
Family Nuturing Center
Beautiful Baby (Cafe) is focused on baby care and is a free-flowing parent-led discussion. Parents are welcome to join at any point during the time frame and stay on as long as they wish/are able to.
This weekly Parent/Baby group is open to any Boston Family Engagement Network family, prenatal or with a child up through 18 months of age on Thursdays @1030am-12pm. The group is hosted by Vital Village and FNC. On the Zoom call are a baby nurse and lactation consultants from Vital Village.
For more information or to receive the Zoom link, contact Sandy Sachs: 617-474-1143 x224 or ssachs@familynurturing.org.
Additional Food Resources:
Abundance Boston offers an application you can download to your phone (or visit their desktop website) to find additional resources related to food access.
Community Cafe meal sites are offering “grab and go” food for elders. Find a list of locations here.
Free outdoor community fridges and pantries have been created to provide mutual aid for residents in need of food in Allston, Fenway, Dorchester, Roslindale, and Mattapan with additional locations coming soon. Community fridges are managed by volunteers and contain produce, dry and canned goods, and other essential household items. More information and a map of existing community fridges can be found here.
If your family does not have adequate food resources, call Project Bread’s FoodSource hotline: 1-800-645-8333.
The Dimock Center distributes free meals each Friday 12pm-2pm to patients, families, and the community from their side parking lot at the Sewall Building at 41 Dimock Street in Boston.
Free groceries for all by the Solidarity Supply Distro at Makeshift Boston (549 Columbus Ave, Boston, MA 02118) every Monday at 5:30pm.
LOCAL & STATE UPDATES
If you are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 (fever, dry cough or fatigue), you can find a list of testing sites across the city here. All tests are free regardless of insurance coverage or immigration status.
State guidelines require residents wear masks or other face coverings anytime they must leave their home including in grocery stores and on public transportation. Find the latest news and updates from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts here and from the City of Boston here.
Government officials are asking all individuals to practice physical distancing. Visit the World Health Organization website for best practices that will keep you and your family healthy, while also helping to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Additional information regarding COVID-19 can be found on the Centers for Disease Control and Disease Prevention website.
If you receive a call from MA COVID team with an 857 or 833 area code, please answer the call. The COVID Community Team is calling because either you or someone you were in contact with tested positive with COVID-19. Contact tracing is critical to slowing the spread of coronavirus in Massachusetts.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Casa Myrna provides shelter and supportive services to survivors of domestic violence.
Mass Thrive has created a comprehensive database that can be searched for information on resources such as food, funding, employment, elder services, housing, relief funds, etc.
The Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation has put together a legal aid resource sheet for those needing legal aid related to COVID-19.
Civic Information:
Federal and local elections will be held on Tuesday, November 3rd. Register to vote here. To find your polling place, and see what your ballot will look like, click here.
All registered voters can vote by mail in MA. To do so, you should complete the application you received in the mail and send it in before October 20th to receive your mail-in ballot, which must be turned in by November 3rd.
The U.S. Census shapes how federal government funding reaches our communities. Please complete the Census by September 30th, 2020 here, if you have not done so already.
The MA Registry of Motor Vehicles has extended the time frame for which eligible customers can renew their MA driver’s license online in order to qualify for a free upgrade to a REAL ID credential when the MA State of Emergency Ends. Most RMV transactions can be done online.
Mutual Aid:
Boston.com has launched the Boston Helps platform for mutual aid. Register to offer help or to receive help related to groceries, meals, rides, or toiletries here.
Ask for help, offer help. The Human Network Initiative’s Neighborhood Aid Network can be found here.