Spoonfuls expands its food recovery operations, keeping good food out of landfills and delivering to the emergency food system
Expansion increases critical food resources in the Southeast region
New Bedford, MA - Massachusetts-based food recovery, Spoonfuls, expanded its services, reaching Southeastern Massachusetts as part of the organization’s efforts to reduce food waste and feed people experiencing food insecurity. For the first time, Spoonfuls is recovering and distributing food in Attleboro, Brockton, Mansfield, New Bedford, Stoughton, and Taunton. Statewide, Spoonfuls – with a footprint from Boston to Springfield – is expected to keep nearly 6 million pounds of fresh food out of Massachusetts’ wastestream in 2025.
The expansion, informed by Spoonfuls’ strategic plan, comes at a critical moment as the state is tackling near-historic high rates of food insecurity while bracing for the impacts of cuts to nutrition programs, like SNAP, arising out of the passage of the Trump administration's “big” bill. Currently, 1 in 2 people in the region experiences food insecurity.
“In discussion with grocery retailers, wholesalers, farmers, community and coalition partners, and neighbors living and working north and south of Boston, it’s clear there is significant need,” said Spoonfuls’ Founder & CEO, Ashley Stanley. “There’s also significant opportunity and appetite for our food recovery work as an added support for other local food access efforts.”
Spoonfuls’ recent expansion, including new routes north of Boston and in Southeastern Massachusetts, was made possible through optimized delivery routes and targeted funding, allowing them to reach more communities with fresh food. Spoonfuls expects its reach in these areas to continue growing as it sources additional food.
United Way of Greater New Bedford is a key partner, serving as a "subhub" that receives
weekly deliveries from Spoonfuls and distributes them through its Hunger Commission to nearly 30 local programs, including pantries, shelters, soup kitchens, and Council on Aging centers on the Southcoast. “We are so grateful for this partnership,” said Michelle N. Hantman, President and CEO. “It brings fresh food to people facing significant barriers, in a region that is under-resourced.”
Spoonfuls focuses on recovering fresh food – from produce, meat, and dairy to baked goods - which are also the most likely to go to waste from area grocery stores, wholesalers and farms. The organization prioritizes transporting this food quickly and safely, using ServSafe-certified drivers, a fleet of refrigerated trucks, and a same-day delivery system, to ensure fresh food can be enjoyed while it’s still good to eat. By providing the food they recover for free to community organizations, like United Way, Spoonfuls’ is helping food programs offer clients more healthy food without adding operational costs.
“Spoonfuls has been a valuable partner for over a decade, and we’re excited to expand our collaboration through pick-ups at our Easton and Bridgewater locations,” said Artie Kroese, Director of Operations at Roche Bros. “We work hard to minimize excess food in our stores, but even with the best forecasting, there’s always some surplus - customer preferences shift and trends change. By partnering with Spoonfuls, we not only reduce our waste disposal costs, but more importantly, we help ensure that good, unsold food goes to feed our neighbors instead of ending up in a landfill.”
According to the nonprofit ReFED, approximately 1/3 of all food in the United States goes unsold or uneaten. The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) reports that food continues to be the number one material in Massachusetts’ wastestream.
Spoonfuls’ is now distributing food to: Attleboro Norton YMCA, BAMSI, Boys & Girls Club of Metro South, Father Bill’s & MainSpring, Massasoit Community College, Old Colony YMCA, Mansfield Food Pantry, Servants of Hope Food Pantry, and United Way of Greater New Bedford. Additional partners are expected to be added soon.