Our Work
Neighbors helping neighbors through sharing food
What We Do
For more than three decades, Community Cooks has invested in building trusting partnerships that connect caring volunteers, the human services sector, businesses, civic groups, schools, and faith-based institutions to form a dynamic, growing community with a common goal: to feed our neighbors in need and increase their ability to thrive.
We identify human service agencies in need of food support for their clients, recruit and connect volunteers to meet those needs, and coordinate approximately 80 cooking teams, each providing a monthly meal to an assigned local partner agency.
Who We Serve
Our work is founded on ensuring that people and programs in need can rely on us to show up for them like clockwork. From domestic violence support programs and homeless shelters to after-school programs, a drop-in center for youth in high-risk situations and more, our meals enable partner agencies to stretch limited resources so they can focus on delivering critical services that help their participants to heal, learn, develop, and thrive.
By partnering with 37 human service agencies, Community Cooks supports many missions and feeds a wide range of people facing food insecurity including:
unhoused adults and children
survivors of domestic abuse
at-risk youth
low-resource families, seniors and students
veterans
individuals with developmental disabilities
people recovering from substance abuse
and more
Our partners are currently located in Boston (Brighton, Brookline, Jamaica Plain, etc.), Arlington, Cambridge, Framingham, Lowell, Newton, Quincy, Somerville, Waltham, Weymouth, and Malden.
How It Works
Once a month, each volunteer Cook provides one of the following:
One part of a family-style meal: entrée, side, vegetable/salad, or dessert to serve 10-12.
Bagged lunches: Each consisting of a sandwich, fruit, snack, dessert, and drink.
Volunteers purchase the groceries, prepare their assigned contribution at home and typically deliver their dish or bagged lunches to the recipient agency. Each volunteer Cook works as a member of an assigned team led by a Team Leader who is responsible for making sure all components of the team’s meal are delivered on a recurring day of the month, always to the same partner agency. Our staff ensure that meals meet the specific food needs of each partner’s clients, from dietary restrictions to allergies to providing culturally appropriate dishes.
Community Cooks has three ways to get involved:
Become a Volunteer Cook: our core volunteer opportunity for individuals who want to join one of our Community Cooks teams.
Kitchen Crew Program: for family or friend groups at schools, faith-based centers, local restaurants, or other small businesses.
Serving Circle Corporate Program: for larger companies that want to start a Community Cooks team at their place of business.