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Each year, Interfaith Social Services dedicates an evening to honor and celebrate all of our amazing volunteers. This year’s Volunteer Appreciation Night was held August 4 and 140+ Interfaith volunteers, board members and staff gathered at Quincy’s Sons of Italy.

Guests enjoyed a delicious dinner catered by Fasano’s. After dinner, everyone took part in a lively trivia game and winners were pulled for a free raffle. Volunteers got to take a night off to socialize with one another and celebrate their accomplishments and contributions throughout the past year.

Volunteers are the heart and soul of Interfaith Social Services’ programs. Whether they help out in the pantry, thrift shop, front desk, help at one of our fundraising events or serve on our board, they are ALL absolutely essential in Interfaith being able to deliver our programs efficiently and compassionately.

Melissa Lynott, our Volunteer Coordinator, spoke at the event and said, “Interfaith could not serve our clients and community as well as we do without each one of you. I am constantly humbled and impressed by the hard work and commitment you show every day.

Each week, 165 volunteers come through the doors of the pantry and thrift shop united with one common goal: to help those in need. Through every challenge over the last year, you’ve risen to the occasion.

Interfaith will continue to face challenges due to the ever-increasing demand for our programs. We realize the magnitude of what we are asking of you to help us meet this demand. You have been amazing, going above and beyond to make sure our clients are served efficiently and with compassion. On behalf of myself and all the Interfaith staff, we are eternally grateful to you.”

Attendees went home from the event with t-shirts and a tote bags as tokens of appreciation.

Matti Lang Volunteer Hall of Fame

During Volunteer Appreciation Night, we inducted 29 of volunteers into Interfaith’s Matti Lang Volunteer Hall of Fame. This honor is bestowed upon those who have served at Interfaith regularly for at least one year. The Hall of Fame is named after one of Interfaith’s most dedicated volunteers, Matti Lang, who gave decades of his life selflessly serving our clients. Interfaith considers all of its volunteers its heroes – they make sure that none of our neighbors in need go hungry or lose hope.

Congratulations to this year’s inductees:

Suzan Barron
Peter Brown
Kim Canale-Smith
Kathy Chaput
Jen Dawe
Lisa Donnelly
Lindsey Donovan
Sarah Doucot
Margaret Dunn
Dianne Grenier
Johanna Harvel
Tara Healy
Vicky Jiang
Regina Kennedy
Adria Kraja
Therese Le
Jen Lebo
Marybeth Maloney
Barbara McEvoy
Daniel Minton
Heidi Moriarty
Ardith Myers
Kristin Nelson
James Norris
Lynda Page
Lynda Segal
Peggy Shaw
Ann Weidner
Sarah Zimolka

Community Partner of the Year

In addition to the Hall of Fame induction, Paula Daniels, Interfaith’s Director of Development, presented Keohane Funeral Home with Interfaith’s 2026 Community Partner of the Year award. This award honors businesses or organizations that have demonstrated an outstanding commitment to volunteerism. Keohane has been a family-owned business in Quincy since 1932.

Interfaith’s partnership with Keohane Funeral Home spans multiple decades. Over the years, Keohane has initiated a program to ensure our food pantry has fresh, local produce; they have organized drives for our Thrift Shop; and they have sponsored our fundraising events. They continually put our community first and are truly committed to making a meaningful difference.

Rick said it best in a recent interview he did speaking about our relationship with Keohane: “Our ability to meet the growing needs of our community can only be accomplished through long-term partnerships. We can’t continue to grow as an organization and respond to increasing demand without being able to count on our community.

The support of local businesses is critical. Knowing that Keohane is there and that we can count on them as volunteers, as advocates, and as a committed community partner is incredibly important as we work to keep pace with the growing need.”

Support from Keohane Funeral Home has helped Interfaith cope with increasing demands for our services. Your amazing contributions over the years have meant so much to us and your positive impact is immeasurable!

We believe this recognition is incredibly well-deserved, and we’re confident this partnership will continue making a meaningful impact for many years to come. We thank Keohane Funeral Home for cultivating the philosophy of giving and service in our community.

John Keohane and several of his family members attended the volunteer appreciation event and accepted the award on the company’s behalf.

Volunteers Wanted

Are YOU looking for volunteer opportunities? Weekly volunteer shifts are available in our Food Pantry and Thrift Shop.

Volunteer Requirements:

• You have the time to commit to one 3-hour volunteer shift per week;
• You can commit to volunteering with us for at least 2-3 months;
• You are 16 years of age or older;
• You are able to work in a fast-paced environment;
• You can lift up to 30 lbs repeatedly;
• Bilingual speaking (especially Mandarin, Cantonese, Spanish or Portuguese) are encouraged to apply!If you meet the requirements above, please fill out the questionnaires below.

PLEASE NOTE: This form is used to collect information only. If you are selected to fill one of our shifts, we will reach out to you to set up an interview.

Food Pantry Questionnaire
Thrift Shop Questionnaire

Photo Gallery

In response to rising food insecurity rates in the region, we are expanding our food pantry capacity. According to the 2026 Massachusetts Food Access Report by the Greater Boston Food Bank and Mass General Brigham, the number of households in the state of Massachusetts facing food insecurity has increased from 19% in 2019 to 40% in 2025. Food insecurity is defined as being unable to afford enough to eat or worrying about where one’s next meal may come from. The growing need is compounded by the addition of nearly 48,000 children in Massachusetts who have lost access to SNAP benefits over the past 12 months.

We have seen the increase in need firsthand at our food pantry in Quincy. Interfaith Social Services operates one of Greater Boston’s largest emergency food pantries and in response to the growing need, we’re taking measures to increase capacity in order to serve all those who turn to us for help. As of July 6, our food pantry will permanently expand hours to offer more time for food pickup.

NEW PANTRY HOURS

New hours at our Quincy food pantry are 9:30am-12pm, Monday through Friday. The food pantry is also open on Wednesday evenings, by appointment.

“We’re seeing the aftereffects of these alarming statistics every day at Interfaith,” said Interfaith Social Services’ Executive Director Rick Doane. “You’ve probably seen the long lines outside our building. We are expanding hours to hopefully decrease those lines and provide more time for clients to access help. Each month this year we’ve seen a 20% increase in food pantry visits compared to last year. Families are struggling to keep up with rising costs, seniors on fixed incomes are having trouble affording food, and hardworking individuals are having to make difficult choices between paying rent and buying groceries.”

Interfaith Social Services is a safety net for South Shore individuals and families. In addition to the food pantry, we also operate a mental health counseling center, Thrift Shop, and homelessness prevention program.

NEED HELP?

Those seeking food assistance are encouraged to visit InterfaithSocialServices.org/food to learn how to become a food pantry client. Interfaith’s food pantry serves residents of Braintree, Cohasset, Hingham, Holbrook, Hull, Milton, Quincy, Randolph, Scituate and Weymouth. Clients are served once every 30 days. Those in need of additional assistance or who reside in other communities are encouraged to call the Project Bread Food Source Hotline at 1-800-645-8333.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

Interfaith’s food pantry saw more than 20,900 visits from neighbors in need last year. While we rescue more than 500,000 pounds of surplus food from local supermarkets each year, it is not enough to meet the need.

“Our food rescue program is an integral part of our operations and keeps millions of pounds of food out of the waste stream,” said Doane. “However, it’s not enough to provide complete, healthy meals to our clients. We supplement food rescue with purchases through our wholesale partners in order to provide families with fresh produce, milk, eggs, meats and personal care products. This ensures our clients are getting the nutritious foods and items they need to lead healthy lifestyles.”

Increased visits to our food pantry over the past five years have caused our food budget to grow by more than 600%.

We are asking the public to help us expand capacity to meet the increased need. Tax deductible donations can be made online HERE or via check mailed to Interfaith Social Services, 105 Adams St., Quincy, MA 02169. A generous donor has pledged to match $30,000 of donations received.

We are also currently in search of a larger facility to house our food pantry program to better serve the community. Have any leads? Contact us at info@interfaithsocialservices.org.

Beginning on Monday July 6, 2026, Interfaith Social Services’ Food Pantry will be permanently changing our hours to offer more time for food pickup. The hours will be 9:30am – 12pm, Monday through Friday. We are also open on Wednesday evenings from 5-7pm, by appointment. You can reserve a Wednesday night appointment online: https://bit.ly/isspantry

We have noticed that clients often come to our program before the program opens and they wait for an extended period in line for food. We want to encourage more people to come between the hours of 11am-12pm. Often there is no line, or a short line during that time.

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Interfaith Social Services食物發放站將作出时间調整。自2026年7月6日（週一）起，我們的開放時間將永久變更，以提供更多領取食物的時段。新開放時間為週一至週五上午9:30至中午12:00。此外，每週三晚上5:00至7:00也開放，但需預約。您可以透過以下網址在線預約週三晚上的名額：https://bit.ly/isspantry

我們注意到，許多客戶常常在開放時間之前就已到達，並在排隊等候領取食物時等待較長時間。我們鼓勵更多人選擇在上午11:00至中午12:00之間前來。該時段通常無需排隊或排隊人數較少。

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Gostaríamos de informar sobre uma mudança no programa de distribuição de alimentos da Interfaith Social Services. A partir de segunda-feira, 6 de julho de 2026, nosso horário de atendimento vai ser

mudando permanentemente para oferecer mais tempo para a retirada de mantimentos. O horário será  das 9h30 às 12h, de segunda a sexta-feira. Também temos compromissos para pegar comida às quartas-feiras, das 17h às 19h. Você pode agendar um compromisso nas quartas-feiras a noite online pelo link: https://bit.ly/isspantry

Observamos que muitas pessoas chegam ao nosso programa antes do horário de abertura e aguardam na fila por um longo período. Gostaríamos de incentivar mais pessoas a virem entre as 11h e as 12h, pois, nesse horário, geralmente não há fila ou a fila é curta.

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Nos gustaría informarles sobre un cambio en el programa de distribución de alimentos de Interfaith Social Services. A partir del lunes 6 de julio de 2026, nuestro horario de atención cambiará permanentemente para ofrecer más tiempo para la recogida de alimentos. El horario será de 9:30 a. m. a 12:00 p. m., de lunes a viernes. También ofrecemos citas para recoger alimentos los miércoles de 5:00 p. m. a 7:00 p. m. Puede programar una cita para el miércoles por la tarde en línea a través del siguiente enlace: https://bit.ly/isspantry

Hemos observado que muchas personas llegan a nuestro centro antes de la hora de apertura y esperan en fila durante un tiempo prolongado. Nos gustaría animar a más personas a acudir entre las 11:00 a. m. y las 12:00 p. m., ya que por lo general no hay fila —o esta es muy corta— durante ese horario.

We Are More Than Just Food!

Our food pantry aims to nourish the mind as well as the body, through our Children’s Book Program. Just the mere presence of books in the home impacts childrens’ academic success, vocabulary development and future job attainment.

When available, each food pantry client receives a bag of age-appropriate books for their children on each visit. Whether board books for infants, picture books or chapter books, we aim to get books in the homes of all our young clients.

Last year we distributed more than 17,000 books to the children of our food pantry clients!

How You Can Help

Our children’s book program needs your support. Here are a few ways you can help:

CLEAN OUT YOUR SHELVES
We’d love your gently used children’s books for ages 0-12! Please, no books with torn covers or missing pages, or that have been colored in.

PURCHASE FROM OUR WISH LIST
We’ve put together an Amazon Wish List of Quincy Public Schools suggested summer reading books from preschool up to grade 8. You can have new books shipped directly to us from this list.

RUN A DRIVE
Run a book drive at your office, youth group or other organization. It’s a great way to teach children about helping those in need.

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We can also accept books for adults! These are resold through our Bureau Drawer Thrift Shop, with all proceeds benefitting Interfaith’s programs.

Donation Instructions:
Books may be dropped off at our building (105 Adams St., Quincy) during the following hours:
Monday, Wednesday & Friday, 12:30-3:30pm,
Tuesday & Thursday, 12:30-7pm
Saturday, 10am-3:30pm.

Interfaith has been selected as one of 150 nonprofits to receive funding through Cummings Foundation’s annual grant program, which awarded $35 million this year. Chosen through a competitive review process that drew a record 959 applicants, our organization will receive $150,000 over three years.

“Over the past forty years the Cummings Foundation has grown to become one of the most important sustainers of the nonprofit sector in New England,” said Rick Doane, Interfaith’s Executive Director. “For many years Joyce and Bill Cummings focused their philanthropy primarily for organizations located in Middlesex, Essex, and Suffolk counties. We were overjoyed a few years ago when they extended their philanthropic footprint to Quincy. Our team here at Interfaith feels honored to have been selected as beneficiaries this year. Given the increase in demand our programs have seen, we have never needed the help more.”

This year, the Woburn-based Cummings Foundation increased its annual grant program from $30 million to $35 million and shifted to fully unrestricted funding, allowing recipients to direct grant dollars where they are needed most.

Foundation Executive Director and Trustee Joyce Vyriotes noted that the changes reflect growing concerns among Greater Boston nonprofits about rising costs, increased demand for services, and sustained uncertainty around public funding.

“Nonprofit professionals are closest to the challenges facing their communities, making them best positioned to determine where and how new funds will drive the greatest impact,” said Vyriotes. “By providing increased, flexible funding, we hope to strengthen organizations’ long-term stability and help them respond to evolving community needs.”

This year’s grant recipients represent a wide range of causes, including housing and food insecurity, education, workforce development, healthcare, mental health services, social justice, immigrant support, and youth programming.

Since its founding, Cummings Foundation has awarded more than $650 million to Greater Boston nonprofits. The complete list of this year’s grant recipients, along with additional information about the Foundation and its grant programs, is available at CummingsFoundation.org.

Interfaith Social Services’ HomeSafe program prevents homelessness for hundreds of families each year.

The need for assistance is greater than ever

HomeSafe is currently serving a record setting numbers of people. In 2025, our Homelessness Prevention Coordinator fielded 1,923 phone calls for assistance from community members in need, a 77% increase compared to just 2 years ago. We have had to double the annual budget for the program to keep up with demand.

Unfortunately, due to major increases in energy, food and housing costs, many of our neighbors are in danger of losing their homes. They are having to make life-threatening decisions about paying rent or utility bills or paying for medications. They are facing evictions at an increasingly alarming rate.

How HomeSafe prevents homelessness

When clients reach out for help, our Homelessness Prevention Coordinator conducts an assessment to determine if a housing emergency exists. We offer information on tenant rights and the eviction process (should it come to that). We educate about other community resources that may help in meeting family budget shortfalls such as community food pantries, fuel assistance programs, SNAP benefits, childcare subsidies and the public housing application process.

If a housing emergency does exist and sustainability is evident, the client must complete an application and submit documents to prove residency, income, family composition and past due balances. Then we communicate with clients and landlords to negotiate and advocate for reasonable repayment plans that preserve tenancy while being as financially responsible as possible to make each dollar we spend stretch to help as many households as possible.

Your donations have a tremendous impact

These are a couple of clients who have recently received assistance from HomeSafe:

Ms. R. is a teacher and mother of two teenagers. Her husband abandoned her and the children two years ago. She was suddenly left to care for, support, and maintain her family alone. They downsized from a house to an apartment. She clipped coupons and shopped in thrift stores. Although she was doing everything to stretch her meager salary, the sudden loss of income was financially devastating. She fell behind in rent and received an eviction notice. She was living paycheck to paycheck and couldn’t make any payment towards her arrears. Her landlord informed her this if she couldn’t pay off all arrears, the eviction would be executed against her.

Interfaith was able to fully resolve the debt which allowed her family to maintain their housing. Ms. R has expressed her deep gratitude assuring us that someday, when she is back on her financial feet, she will seek out an opportunity to pay it forward to someone else.

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Ms. C. is a single mother of an elementary school-aged child and an infant. The baby was born with several health complications which caused Ms. C to take off significantly more time from work than anticipated. Unemployment benefits were minimal and ran out too soon. She fell behind in rent and was taken to housing court for eviction. She had since restarted work and even picked up a side job, but it was still not enough to pay her rent on time and pay down her arrearage in a manner that satisfied her landlord. They wanted her to pay all that she owed right away, or she was going to be out on the street. She was beyond terrified at the prospect of being homeless with an infant and a seven-year-old.

Interfaith was able to cover the lump sum she owed. When we called to tell her the news, she was so very grateful and relieved.

How you can help or receive help

Thank you for your sustaining support!

• Support HomeSafe by making a donation
• Need assistance? Learn more about how HomeSafe can help

Hundreds of Interfaith Social Services‘ amazing supporters gathered on December 5 to “Party with a Purpose” at our 28th annual Feed the Hungry Gala.

Held at Granite Links, the event raised $570,000 to support Interfaith’s programs. We are so grateful to all who attended and donated!

The evening was filled with food, fun and jaw-dropping generosity:

Accounting for a significant percentage of Interfaith’s annual budget, this event is instrumental in allowing us to carry out our mission. Our food pantry distributes more than 155,000 bags of food and personal care items each year and our seasonal programs provide local families in need with Halloween costumes, Thanksgiving meal packages, school backpacks and more. This week we are distributing holiday gifts to 1,300 children. The generous support given through our annual Gala enables us to keep up with the increased number of families coming to our doors in need of food, mental health counseling and rental assistance.

The planning for this event started nearly a year ago, securing corporate sponsorships and organizing the auction and games. A special thank you to this year’s lead sponsors: Presenter Sponsor Arbella Insurance Group, Champion Sponsor Walmart and our Hero Sponsors Ceres Real Estate, The Heritage Companies, Plymouth Quarries, and Quincy Mutual Group. We are also incredibly grateful for our “Friends of the Feed the Hungry Gala” sponsors. Your support means the world to us!

The morning of the event volunteers from Arbella Insurance came out to help us set up and

A talented group of volunteers from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts kindly filled our foyer display with fresh produce. The beautiful display made the perfect backdrop for guest photos throughout the evening. Blue Cross donated all the produce in the display and the fresh food was distributed to our food pantry clients on Monday morning after our event

After checking in, guests were greeted with their choice of a white cosmo cocktail or a festive mocktail from Abby Park and Novara. Attendees enjoyed delicious hand-rolled sushi from our friends at JP Fuji and oysters on the half shell from Ocean Seafood International while browsing our silent auction table. This year’s auction showcased spectacular packages including getaways, sports tickets and more. Thank you so much to the hundreds of companies that donated auction items and gift certificates!

In the ballroom, guests were able to sample savory dishes and sweet treats from local restaurants Dotty’s Kitchen, Evviva Trattoria, Granite Links, Liberty Tavern, Masons Steakhouse, Pearl & Lime, Victory Point, Niveaux Patisserie and Sweet Lizzy P Bake Shop.

Representatives from Castle Island Brewing Co and Untold Brewing served up their craft beers, and Bin Ends poured wine tastings for the crowd.

Fun games with lots of prizes, including Putt-Putt Golf and the Giving Tree (where guests could purchase gifts for a local children) added to the jovial atmosphere.

Guests were excited to put in their names for a chance to win a bottle of Dom Perignon by playing our “Spin the bottle” Wine game or try their luck at catching a lucky duck to win a Dunkin’ gift card in our Dunkin’ Carvalho Group sponsored game.

Guests also enjoyed live entertainment by the Belted Galloways. The evening ended with our signature Heads & Tails game, AKA the Blinky Light Game, featuring a $500 prize!

Guests received a sweet dessert donated by Purefections before heading out for the night.

The evening’s program included a moving video that featured two of Interfaith’s clients – Jerome and Jennifer. While the statistics of the number of people we serve are astonishing, you can truly grasp Interfaith’s impact by listening to our clients tell their stories. These clients bravely shared their experiences about coming to our food pantry.

The funds raised at our Gala help people just like Jerome and Jennifer. So many of our clients have similar stories of how a catastrophic diagnosis can cause them to turn to food pantries. Perhaps they lost their job, or their rent increased, or they took in their grandchildren after a parent could no longer care for them. These are not stories from movies or books they are real people in our community. Your support will help them stay in their homes, get the food and personal care items they need, or receive vital mental health care.

Enjoy this video of the moment we shared our event total at the Gala. It has been playing on repeat here back at Interfaith’s offices. And donations have continued to roll in since then, bringing our total to a record-breaking $570,000!

We are still completely speechless over the outpouring of support we witnessed at our Gala! Thank you!

Were you unable to attend but would still like to contribute? Please consider supporting by making a donation.

PHOTO GALLERY – Photos by the talented Matt Teuten Photography

Be sure to Save the Date for our 29th annual Feed the Hungry Gala on December 4, 2026!

On Friday December 6, a tractor trailer full of nonperishable food left Salt Lake City Utah enroute to Massachusetts. Early in the morning on Monday December 9, the truck arrived in Rockland, MA and unloaded 40,000 pounds of food donated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to feed thousands of South Shore families in need.

The 28 pallets of food contained essentials like: rice, macaroni, green beans, dishwashing liquid, flour, beans, carrots, carrots, diced tomatoes, peanut butter, oats, as well as some fun items like pancake mix, cake mix and hot cocoa. All of the donated items were grown, processed and packaged by Church-owned farms, ranches, and production facilities like canneries, dairies, and mills. They process the goods using volunteer labor, plus donations from Church members. These resources provide basic foods and household items to people in need, regardless of their faith.

This 40,000 pound food donation will be split between two local food pantries: Interfaith Social Services and The South Shore Food Bank.

Since 1947 Interfaith Social Services has been a safety net for thousands of children and families who are struggling to make ends meet. Located in Quincy, MA; Interfaith operates one of the largest emergency food pantries in Greater Boston – distributing food and essential hygiene products to local residents in need. Interfaith also operates a mental health counseling center, homelessness prevention program as well as coordinating several large-scale seasonal initiatives that bring joy to local children living in poverty.

The South Shore Food Bank is a regional food access hub for food-assistance organizations across 28 South Shore communities in Massachusetts. In 2024, more than half of food distributed by food pantries on the South Shore moved through their warehouse, benefitting almost 30,000 residents across the region. They also operate two large scale food pantries in Weymouth and Randolph. Their mission is to improve food access, food equity, and promote health.

Both food pantries report record setting levels of need amongst local families in Southeastern Massachusetts. Each food pantry provides groceries to 2,000+ households each month.

This is the second time The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has made a donation of this size to the two organizations. The last time was in 2020 at the height of the pandemic.