Haven From Hunger Looking for a New Home

For hundreds of struggling area families and homeless residents, Haven From Hunger has been a staple of hope in the community for more than two decades. But as more and more people take advantage of their services, the non profit has struggled to meet the demand.

Haven From Hunger is the only food pantry in the city open every week and serves families and residents from Peabody, Salem and Lynnfield. With about 80 to 100 people coming through for lunch and dinner four days a week and dozens of individuals and organizations donating food each week, heads of the organization say its rented basement space at the Masonic Temple on Wallis Street is simply too small.

"We have really just outgrown our space. We are lucky enough to have a donated trailer outside where we keep a lot of the food, but that isn't really ideal," said Marylou Maher, a member of the non profit's board of directors. "There is a freezer upstairs and we do have some refrigerator space, too, but we just need more. Everything is just everywhere here, and that is a major concern."

Started in 1985 by volunteers as a soup kitchen, Haven From Hunger has rented the basement of the Masonic Lodge for the majority of that time - an agreement that has served the organization well, but is no longer ideal. Aside from the space issues, Executive Director Alyse Barbash says there are other problems with staying at the lodge such as the limited schedule in which they can serve food (the organization is only open four days a week) and a lack of handicapped access that prevents them from applying for state funding.

"We aren't eligible (for state funding or grants) because we aren't handicapped accessible, that is one of the big things that we are looking for in a new space. We have to provide access to handicapped if we want to get any state money," she said. "It isn't just because of the funding, there is a whole population of people we can't serve because they are handicapped or disabled and they can't physically get down here. My Dad is disabled and he can't even come down to help us out and volunteer, that is a major issue."

Haven From Hunger receives donations every day from residents and a multitude of local businesses. Maher said the new home must have enough space to store all of the donations safely and orderly, as well as feature an industrial kitchen, large refrigerators and freezers, as loading dock and enough space to hold the growing number of people who take advantage of what they offer.

She said ideally they are looking for 4,000 to 5,000 square feet of space and have already begun researching some areas in downtown Peabody, including the former Comcast building on Foster Street, St. John's Convent and a former ice house on Walnut Street. Thus far the locations have been too small or not accessible enough, although the Comcast building does still remain an option. 

Most likely, the new home will have to be renovated, something the organization is willing to do, as long as there is no threat of flood damage to the basement.

Barbash says she is not sure how much money it will take to fund the project, but she would prefer to find a place that the non profit can purchase so they do not run the risk of being thrown out in a few years.

"I am willing to work with anything as long as it is ours," Barbash said. "I don't want to get in to a place, spend all of this money and time to renovate it and make it look nice, and then have someone sell it out from under us a few years later."

Haven From Hunger is looking for help moving anywhere they can find it, whether it be from someone looking to donate money or a contractor offering a donation of services for the renovation. Barbash is actively seeking grants and donations from within the community as well. Upon hearing news that the city recently purchased an Elm Street home for the purpose of converting it to affordable housing, Barbash says she got in contact with Mayor Michael Bonfanti and the city's Community Development Office on frequent occasions and is confident that of the city can help, it will.

"I have had meetings with the city. I have sat in the mayor's office and they have their eyes open for us," she said. "The mayor has been extremely supportive, I couldn't ask for more, really. There is just a lack of inventory right now. If there was a building to give I know they would give it to us, there just isn't a lot of money out there for anybody and they are trying to help us any way they can."

One option that Barbash said is not realistic was moving the organization to the McCarthy School if it is closed after this school year. Although the facility would more than fit its needs, it is too far away from the downtown area.

"We really have to stay in this area of downtown because we have a lot of people who walk here," Maher said. "We have homeless people that walk here every day that we are open. We can't move to West Peabody or somewhere else in the city because many of the people that take advantage of us wouldn't be able to come here."

Haven From Hunger is thriving as a service to struggling residents and Barbash, who took over as director late last year, says the move is absolutely necessary to continue to grow the organization in a positive direction.

"It is a wonderful thing that we have the generosity we have and that we have all of this food, and I hope that people can continue to be generous so that we can make this move to help the people that we aren't helping right now," said Barbash.  "It is a matter of finding the right place. When we find that right place we are going to move. I wrote on the inside of my desk that a goal is just a dream with a deadline. I hope that we can find a place to move within six months, and if it takes a year to move in at least we know that carrot is hanging there.

"We are very well supported and I feel the community will continue to support us in this move. I have to believe that or we wouldn't bee doing this."

Download the movie