Community Cooks

Community Cooks is a Somerville-based nonprofit that mobilizes volunteers to provide home-cooked meals for neighbors facing food insecurity across Greater Boston. Each volunteer prepares a dish once a month for delivery to an assigned partner agency, which then serves complete meals to the people it supports. The model fills a gap many social service programs face, since their funding often does not cover the cost of food.

The organization believes shared food offers more than nourishment; it is a sign of solidarity and a way to show people they matter. By pooling resources, it reaches many different missions and populations at once. Individuals, businesses, schools, civic groups and faith communities all cook, giving people of all ages a way to fit volunteering into their lives. Some volunteers have been cooking with the group since 2010.

What to Know

• Meals go to 37 partner agencies.
• Partners include programs such as The Friday Cafe and On The Rise.
• The staff team includes Ellenor Barish, Nicole Pirani, Daniele Levine, Kate Berliner and Margaret Patkus.
• It is a member of the Somerville Chamber of Commerce and Union Square Main Streets.