Dignity first
Everyone chooses their own food and is welcomed by name. No one has to prove they’re hungry.
About us
Neighbors feeding neighbors since 1994
What began as one shelf in a church basement is now Bayside’s community pantry, run by a small team and hundreds of volunteers.
Our story
It started with one shelf
In the winter of 1994, members of St. Anne’s Church noticed that more families were asking for help with food. They cleared a shelf in the basement and filled it with cans.
Word spread. Grocers began giving food that would otherwise be thrown away, and neighbors began giving their time. Today we share more than 400,000 meals a year from our home on Mill Street.
Our mission: make sure no one in Bayside goes hungry, and that everyone who comes to us is treated as a neighbor.
What we believe
Four values guide everything we do
Neighbors helping neighbors
Most of our volunteers live within a mile of the Pantry, and many once came for help themselves.
Waste nothing
We rescue 300,000 pounds of good food from grocers and farms each year.
Open books
Our finances and annual report are public. Ask us anything.
Our team
The people behind the Pantry
Dana Whitfield
Executive director
Luis Ortega
Pantry manager
Mei Chen
Volunteer coordinator
Sam Brooks
Delivery coordinator
Board of directors
- Grace Liu, Chair
- Marcus Hale, Treasurer
- Ana Pereira, Secretary
- Tom Becker, Member
- Joyce Adeyemi, Member
- Rev. Paul Kim, Member