ROCKLAND, HOLBROOK, RANDOLPH, MA ISSUED JUNE 12, 2024… The South Shore Food Bank, working in partnership with the Greater Boston Food Bank to improve food access on the South Shore, help address food equity across towns, and help make fresh options more readily available to families relying on food pantries to meet their needs, is excited to announce a partnership with Boston Higashi School, a private non-profit organization located in Randolph serving students aged 4-22 with Autism.
In recent months, students aged 18-22 in the Boston Higashi School’s Emergence Program have volunteered their time at the South Shore Food Bank as part of the school’s work-place skills development program. The Emergence Program, which is based out of a satellite school in Holbrook, prepares students to enter into adult services when they turn 22. The comprehensive vocational training program builds a work history for each student with the hope that similar opportunities can be provided once they leave Boston Higashi School.
Arriving at the food bank with a Higashi instructor, the students pick up and transport deliveries and in so doing learn about product handling, temperature controls, and logistics, while additionally broadening their communication proficiencies.
“Our students benefit from the social component while providing an essential service,” said Jamie Marshall, division director of the Emergence Program. “And the people they meet while making deliveries very much appreciate our students. It’s a win/win situation for both populations.”
“There is great synergy in this partnership,” said Pamela Denholm, executive director of the South Shore Food Bank. “The students play a role in being part of a solution and can take pride in the work they perform. We value the time and effort they put in and appreciate the helping hands and amazing attitudes they bring to each shift.”
About the South Shore Food Bank
Established in 2021, the South Shore Food Bank is part of a united community effort to bring food, dignity and hope to our South Shore neighbors. The organization acts as a hub for a network of food pantries, soup kitchens, and shelters supported by Greater Boston Food Bank, helping to get food to where it’s most needed, especially fresh produce and frozen goods. Currently, the South Shore Food Bank serves pantries in towns throughout the South Shore, including Abington, Braintree, East Bridgewater, West Bridgewater, Canton, Carver, Cohasset, Duxbury, Halifax, Hanson, Hanover, Hingham, Holbrook, Hull, Kingston, Marshfield, Milton, Norwell, Pembroke, Plympton, Quincy, Randolph, Rockland, Scituate, Weymouth, and Whitman.
The South Shore Food Bank is located at 40E Reservoir Park Drive, Rockland, MA 02370. For more information, please visit www.southshorefoodbank.org, email info@weymouthfoodpantry.org, or call 781-331-7682.
