Students, Alums Provide Critical Food Assistance to Boston Residents.

The widespread economic disruption of COVID-19 has placed millions of people at risk of food insecurity for the first time, and exacerbated the challenges of those who were already experiencing it.

School of Public Health students and alums are lending support to two programs in Boston that have made it easier for local residents to put healthy, affordable food on the table during this unprecedented crisis.

Volunteers from SPH, the School of Medicine, the School of Social Work, and the Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine are helping with operational tasks and deliveries for Fresh Truck, a local mobile produce market, as well as for Boston Medical Center’s Preventive Food Pantry program, in which physicians and nutritionists “prescribe” fresh fruits, vegetables, meats, and canned goods to low-income patients to promote health, facilitate recovery, and prevent future illness.

Both programs began serving Boston’s communities long before the coronavirus pandemic began to spread, but the need for their services has grown exponentially as local and national unemployment numbers continue to soar, as grocery budgets for many families continue to shrink.

Pre-COVID-19, the Fresh Truck program, whose parent company is About Fresh, consisted of multiple school buses converted into produce markets and stationed in neighborhoods throughout the city, including East Boston, South Boston, Charlestown, Dorchester, and more. Now, for safety precautions, the buses are still parked in their designated locations, but Fresh Truck staff and volunteers prepare pre-packaged bags filled with a $10 supply of fruits, vegetables, or a combination of both, as well as some grains, and then sell them to customers in “open-air markets” adjacent to the buses. The majority of customers qualify for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, but anyone is able to purchase Fresh Truck produce.

“The work that Fresh Truck is doing is remarkable,” says Julia Nash, a part-time MPH student who has volunteered at the service’s South Boston location, assisting families with their purchases and ensuring that there is adequate social distancing in lines. “They’ve completely stripped their old model for one that’s faster, and they work with food partners to ensure that they have the quantities and quality of produce that they need. I was blown away by the quality of the produce—that makes it an even better experience for families, knowing that it is produce that is going to last these families at least several days before the truck returns.”

About Fresh has implemented a number of safety precautions for staff, volunteers, and customers, and volunteers are provided ample masks, gloves, and hand sanitizer. But the need for volunteers is still great, says Nash, as many people continue to stay home to avoid the risk of contracting COVID-19.

“For me, I’m willing to accept that risk if it means having an opportunity to help these vulnerable populations that are in need of food, to keep their spirits high, and hopefully reduce their stress and improve their livelihoods,” says Nash, who is completing her practicum this summer at Three Squares New England, an organization that tackles food insecurity through awareness campaigns and fundraisers for food partners. “These families are really grateful, and being able to have this option on a weekly basis is phenomenal.”

MPH student Shagun Modi has also volunteered with Fresh Truck, at its Charlestown and downtown locations.

“I decided to volunteer because I want to do whatever I can to help during this time,” says Modi, who just completed her first semester in the MPH program. As an international student from Mumbai, India, she remained in the city after the school switched to remote teaching, and thought that this program was a good opportunity to learn more about the city and help communities who need it the most. “I wanted to utilize my time doing something good, and it’s been really nice to get engaged and help in any way that I can.”

To reach the most vulnerable populations, both Fresh Truck and BMC’s food pantry program also deliver food directly to residents’ homes. Michael Silverstein, director of the division of general pediatrics and vice chairman for research at BMC, along with SPH alum Erin Ashe (SPH’18), program director for ACO research and program evaluation at BMC, have led this volunteer effort in coordination with the SPH Activist Lab to benefit patients in need who have contracted COVID-19 or are at risk of contracting the virus. With deliveries of fresh produce, meats, and other staples to their door, food is one less thing patients have to worry about once they are discharged and recovering at home. The home deliveries for both programs are contact-free, and volunteers simply call the resident when they arrive to let them know their food has been delivered.

Alum Sujana Rajkarnikar (SPH’15), a senior healthcare analyst at Welltok, Inc. in Burlington, Mass., has participated in volunteer projects with SPH since she completed the MPH program in 2015, and was happy to help deliver food to homes throughout Boston. She says that elderly residents are often surprised to receive the packages of food (family members and friends can order food for them), and their delight makes it an especially rewarding experience.

“A lot of times they think the delivery is a mistake, but it turns out that their children or grandchildren ordered it for them,” says Rajkarnikar. “Seeing the smiles on their faces and how happy they are to receive the delivery is really great.”

To volunteer with the Fresh Truck program, click here. To volunteer with BMC’s Preventive Food Pantry delivery program, click here. For more information, contact Tara O’Connor at tnoconno@bu.edu.

—Jillian McKoy