Men's Basketball Gives Back at Greater Boston Food Bank

Boston, Mass. (1/12/16) – In the midst of a successful and busy season, the Lasell College men's basketball team made time to volunteer at The Greater Boston Food Bank (GBFB) on Tuesday afternoon, sorting 9,330 pounds of food to make 4,368 meals possible for those in need.

The GBFB is the largest hunger-relief organization in New England and is among the largest food banks in the country. Last year, they distributed over 54 million pounds of food, enough to provide healthy meals to as many as 545,000 people. 

Joining the Lasell men's basketball team is over 25,000 volunteers who annually help sort and distribute donated food products. GBFB acquires food through food industry product donations, financial contributions, and food drives. Once the food is acquired, it is stored, organized, and distributed through local food pantries, homeless and residential shelters, youth programs, community meal programs, senior centers, and day-care centers embedded in communities throughout the nine counties of eastern Massachusetts.

Last year, the GBFB reached an extraordinary milestone, distributing 600 million pounds for the year, and continue to operate out of a state-of-the-art, 117,000 square foot food distribution facility, the Yawkey Distribution Center, located in the Newmarket section of Boston.

For more information on the Greater Boston Food Bank and how you can help, please visit their website at www.gbfb.org.

GBFB History

• 1970s – Kip Tiernan begins distributing food out of the back of a station wagon.
• 1981 – GBFB is legally incorporated as The Boston Food Bank.
• 1982 – GBFB becomes a member of the America's Second Harvest - The Nation's Food Bank Network (now known as Feeding America).
• 1990 – GBFB distributes 5 million pounds of food.
• 1993 – GBFB legally changes its name to The Greater Boston Food Bank, Inc.
• 1995 – Catherine D'Amato, now President and CEO, joins The Greater Boston Food Bank.
• 2000 – GBFB distributes more than 15 million pounds of food to the most vulnerable members of our community, mobilizes 7,000 volunteers, partners with 500 food donors, and receives support from 30,000 financial donors.
• 2001 – GBFB launches its direct distribution Brown Bag program.
• 2006 – GBFB celebrates its 25th anniversary. The Massachusetts Legislature conveys a parcel of land for the site of the new food distribution facility at 70 South Bay Avenue, Boston.
• 2009 – GBFB moves into its new facility, the Yawkey Distribution Center, and distributes 31.5 million pounds of food and grocery products.
• 2010 – GBFB launches direct distribution programs in Lawrence and Lynn, providing weekend and holiday packs of food to children who depend on school meals to avoid hunger.
• 2011 – GBFB announces it will increase annual food distribution by 3.5 million pounds to provide at least one meal a day to everyone at risk of hunger in eastern Massachusetts.
• 2012 – GBFB distributes more than 40 million pounds, enough for 32 million meals.
• 2014 – GBFB distributes 50 million pounds for the year, enough for 42 million meals and a cumulative 500 million pounds, enough to feed a sellout crowd at Fenway Park 11,000 times.
• 2015 – GBFB reaches milestone of 600 million pounds of food distributed.