Good Shepherd Parish Food Pantry
After years of serving our Island community, the Good Shepherd Parish Food Distribution Program will conclude on September 5, 2026.
We are deeply grateful for the generosity of our volunteers, donors, and neighbors who made this ministry possible. It has been a privilege to assist so many families.
Those in need of food assistance are encouraged to reach out to Sarah Steigelman for information about available support: 508-560-8764.
Also listed on our website, other Island services for those with food insecurity https://goodshepherdmv.com/other-food-outreach-mv/
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Tuesday (weekly) hours: Senior Citizens: 8:00 am – 9:00 am, General Public 9:00 am – 12 noon**
Saturday hours (1st and 3rd Saturdays of the month): Senior Citizens: 9:00 am – 10:00 am; General Public: 10:00 am – 11:45 am**
**Only one visit per week, per household to our food pantry. Be sure to have your registration bar-code key tag when you arrive. A household of 1-2 people may take 2 reusable grocery bags of food; a family of 3 to 5 people may take 3 reusable grocery bags.
Healthy Pantry Recognition Program 2025 We are proud to be recognized as a 2025 Healthy Pantry by The Greater Boston Food Bank, reflecting our commitment to providing nutritious food and creating a welcoming, client-centered pantry experience.
Begun here in April 2019, in collaboration with the Greater Boston Food Bank, Good Shepherd Parish began offering Saturday bi-monthly free food distributions of frozen proteins, along with dairy, fresh fruits and vegetables here at the Parish Center, back entrance off School Street for anyone with food insecurity. Users were asked to register when they visit the food pantry, to receive a bar-code key tag for subsequent visits. All information is kept confidential. The database is one designed for Greater Boston Food Bank agencies so that we can track and manage the size of the community we serve. We do not provide any information to law enforcement, federal, state, or immigration agencies.
Our outreach distributor makes weekly+ food runs to the Greater Boston Food Bank. We are grateful for staff and volunteers that continue to help provide this service for those in need. This program was first made possible through our parish Good Shepherds’ previous financial support; monies to purchase food from Catholic Charities (ended in 2024) and other generous donors, both large and small. Thank you!
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February 2022 through today, the food pantry operates every Tuesday 8 am – noon and 1st & 3rd Saturdays 9 am – noon.
In March, 2021 we were able to reopen the pantry for additional Tuesday morning shopping.
During the 2020 corona-virus pandemic, our food pantry went to bi-monthly Saturday contactless, pre-boxed distributions only from the alternating weekly Tues/Sat walk through shopping.
2020 Update: From July 1, 2019 to June 30, 2020 we distributed over 217,280 lbs of food. the MV Food Baskets has handed out over 7,700 bags of food and 2,427 boxes of food. During this time frame, we were able to provide food for libraries, Community Services, Oak Bluff Elementary, MVRHS, Wampanoag Tribe, Senior Centers, as well as the Boys and Girls Club.
We have received grants from the Boston Food Bank for $10,000 and the diocese of Fall River for $8,000 to purchase a freezer – this enables us to distribute more food like frozen meats, soups, etc. In July, 2020 with thanks to the Martha’s Vineyard Charitable Foundation’s donation of $42,500, a 26′ refrigerated delivery truck was purchased for the Vineyard Committee on Hunger which we use; in 2026 owned by IGI. Money from the Permanent Endowment for MV and other generous donors kept our program funded and allowed us to make much needed improvements to the food pantry space.
Children’s Food & Backpack Program–discontinued.
2020 Update: We ended in March with the school shutdowns due to the corona virus. MVRHS has resumed food distribution to students in Sept., while OB School and the Boys and Girls Club are working out details to start up again (see chart above).
2019 Update: From July 1, 2018 to June 30, 2019 we distributed over 75,000 lbs of food to over 6,100 individuals – including meals for over 3,900 children, 2,500 households, 2,100 adults, 125 seniors. We distributed over 1,800 bags of food and 1,200 boxes of food.
Piloted in 2017 at the Oak Bluffs School, the privately-funded backpack program sent kids home on Fridays with food to share with their families over the weekend. This effort is so students will not have a tougher time coming back to school after weekends and school vacations with headaches or stomachaches due to lack of nutritious food to eat.
Other Resources: The Martha’s Vineyard Boys & Girls Club has a Healthy Happy Kids (H2K) after school food program. They provide hundreds of Island children nutritious food after school.