Our Story
Thirty years of nourishing community
How It All Started
In 1990, Lucy Leu organized a handful of her neighbors on Westwood Road in Somerville to provide a meal-a-month to the Somerville Homeless Coalition’s adult shelter. Shortly after, our co-founder Vicky I, Lucy’s childhood friend, moved to the neighborhood and joined in, organizing her own neighbors on Central Street.
That first meal prepared on Westwood Road has multiplied over three decades into hundreds of thousands of meals cooked, week after week and year after year in kitchens from Somerville to Lowell to Malden to Boston and beyond by our compassionate army of Cooks.
A photo of our early days when Cooks drove a musical van blasting Beethoven's Ode to Joy to pick up donated non-perishable food, including Mary Todd (front, third from the right) our long-time Program Coordinator who passed away in 2018. We miss her always.
“Offering a path of service through sharing food as an expression of care. It’s simple, yet powerfully connecting and, for me, very worth the doing.”
— Vicky I, Founder
Our Timeline
1990
8 Cooks
1 partner agency
20 people served monthly
First meal provided to Somerville Homeless Coalition by neighbors on Westwood Road.
2000
35 Cooks
3 partner agencies
60 people served monthly
New partners include On The Rise and Good Food Good Friends in Cambridge.
2010
140 Cooks
12 partner agencies
1,000 people served monthly
New partners include RESPOND, The Women’s Center, Wayside ShortStop, CASPAR and St. Patrick’s Shelter.
2012
280 Cooks
18 partner agencies
1,200 people served monthly
CC obtains official nonprofit status, forms Board and hires first paid staff.
Expansion to date includes new partners in Lowell, Malden, Medford, Newton, Waltham, and Watertown.
2013
2024
430 Cooks
21 partner agencies
1,800 people served monthly
First two Serving Circle business cooking teams are recruited: Naveo Credit Union and Chef Jordan Bailey at Lumière Restaurant.
2017
900 Cooks
39 partner agencies
4,400 people served monthly
Our founder Vicky retires and CC moves into its first independent office at 337 Somerville Ave.
2020
1,000 Cooks
41 partner agencies
5,100 people served monthly
CC celebrates its 30th anniversary.
Expansion to date includes 17 Greater Boston cities and towns.
50 Serving Circle Teams include banks, caterers, an Islamic Center, churches, temples, schools.
200+ volunteers cooking for 5+ years (including 40 10+ Cooks)
2020-2021
30,000+ people served during the pandemic
CC launches immediate response to COVID-19 in partnership with Forge Baking Co. to provide meals for both partner agencies and individual households in quarantine.
650+ Cooks
37 partner agencies
1,600 people served monthly