If you’re searching for food banks in Rhode Island, below we’ve featured 10 of the best from across the state.
1. Federal Hill House
Located in Providence, Federal Hill House has been helping local individuals and families with low income and limited English speaking skills since 1887. Through their two food banks—the Federal Hill Food Center on Swiss Street and Olneyville Food Center on Manton Avenue—Federal Hill House provides a week’s worth of free, nutritious food to those in need twice a month. To date, they have helped nearly 6,000 individuals and families avoid going hungry through their services.
You can donate money directly to Federal Hill House through PayPal. You can also become involved as a volunteer by viewing the guidelines on this page. Contact them to find out how you can donate food and goods directly to the food bank.
2. Good Neighbors Food Pantry
Since 1990, Good Neighbors (formerly Bristol Good Neighbors) has run a variety of food services, such as a hot meal soup kitchen and meal delivery, for needy residents in the Providence area. Their weekly food pantry provides struggling families with emergency provisions twice a month, including toiletries and additional bag of kids’ food for those with school-age children. In the summer, the kids’ food bag is available on a weekly basis to ensure no child goes hungry when school lunches aren’t available.
Good Neighbors is always looking for volunteers; apply to be one here. You can donate money directly to them here, but if you want to donate food or other goods, you need to make an appointment by contacting them directly via the information at the bottom of any of their webpages.
3. Lighthouse Community Food Pantry
Since 1995, the Lighthouse Christian Church in Cumberland has provided emergency food provisions to through the Lighthouse Community Food Pantry located on Meeting Street. Once a week, the Lighthouse Community Food Pantry opens as a free supermarket for eligible individuals and families to select a week’s worth of supplemental food supplies.
Contact the church to find out how you can donate money, goods, or your time to help the pantry.
4. Northern Rhode Island Food Pantry
Also in Cumberland, the Northern Rhode Island (NRI) Food Pantry has served emergency food to the families of the Lincoln, Cumberland, and Forestdale areas of Rhode Island since 2012. Once a month, eligible families and individuals can collect supplemental food bags to help keep them from being hungry when their other assistance outlets run out.
As an independent charity organization, the NRI Food Pantry runs entirely on contributions from the community and Rhode Island Food Bank. You can find out how to donate either money or food by visiting their donations page here; find out how to volunteer here. For other information, including how families can sign up to collect food, contact them directly.
5. Project Hand Up Food Pantry
In Warwick, the Project Hand Up Food Pantry is a different kind of food pantry as they ask for a suggested donation to provide struggling families with groceries each month. These donations help to provide more variety of nutritious and fresh foods for families to shop for without feeling a loss of dignity at needing to accept a ‘hand out.’
They always need donations of toiletries and nonperishable food items that you can drop off at the pantry whenever they are open. You can find out what to donate and how to donate money at this page. Contact them for more information.
6. North Kingstown Food Pantry
Originally operating as the Little Red Schoolhouse since 1981, the North Kingstown Food Pantry provides eligible families with a prepacked bag of a week’s worth of food and toiletries, as well as a bag of ingredients for that month’s featured recipe. They also provide food to children in need during the summer and holiday months to ensure they don’t go without when schools are closed.
You can help the pantry in a variety of ways; you can see how to help or donate goods and food at this page or donate money via this page. Contact them directly to find out more about the pantry.
7. Jonny Cake Center for Hope
In Peace Dale, west of Narragansett, is the Jonny Cake Center for Hope food pantry, open 6 days a week for families to collect a week’s worth of food to bridge the gaps between paychecks and government assistance. Run more like a supermarket than a food distribution service, Jonny Cake Center for Hope also ensures families have access to perishable items such as produce, dairy, eggs, and meats, rather than just canned and dried goods.
You can donate food and goods directly to the pantry during their normal opening hours or donate money to help purchase fresh foods by donating here. You can also become a volunteer by completing their volunteer application here. Contact them to find out more about the Center.
8. Edgewood Pawtuxet Ecumenical Food Closet
The Edgewood Pawtuxet Ecumenical Food Closet in Cranston helps low-income and fixed income families three days a week. Each month, eligible families and individuals can collect a week’s worth of food from their supermarket-style pantry model, ensuring that no family goes hungry from month to month.
You can become a volunteer by filling out a volunteer application form. You can donate food or money by contacting them directly.
9. Blackstone Valley Emergency Food Center
Located in Pawtucket, the Blackstone Valley Emergency Food Center has been serving the residents of Pawtucket, Lincoln, Cumberland, and Central Falls since 1992. Once a month, those families and individuals with little to no income can collect up to 10 days’ worth of food, which include more than just dried and nonperishable foods; recipients can also collect fresh produce and meats, dairy and eggs, and fresh baked breads.
You can find out to help donate food, goods, money, or time by contacting them directly or visiting their food center in person.
10. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center Food Pantry
In Newport, the Martin Luther King Jr. Community (MLKC) Center Food Pantry provides food items and toiletries to local families and individuals once a month. They are open three days a week, even providing a mobile food pantry once a month for those who can’t make it to the brick-and-mortar building. They even provide free breakfast five days a week and a food delivery service to homebound residents.
You can donate money directly via PayPal or contact them to find out how to donate foods and other goods to the pantry.
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