As Holidays Approach, Food Security Resources Available Cape-Wide

BARNSTABLE – Andrea Marczely, Food Access Coordinator for the Cape Cod Cooperative Extension through the Barnstable County, said that Cape Cod residents facing food insecurity due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic have a variety of resources available to assist them.

Marczely, who started the position mid-October, is responsible for identifying food access needs on Cape and identifying where supports and resources can be improved to reach more people in need.

“There is such an increase in need for food resources, however what I’ve found on the Cape is that we actually do have quite a lot of food available in our food distribution sites and food pantries in the different towns,” said Marczely.

“That’s really great news. I think the biggest challenge has been making sure people who need food know where to go to access this food.”

Marczely said that due to the pandemic and the economic impacts it has had, there are a lot of people experiencing food insecurity that never have before.

Consequently, many of these people do not know what resources are available to assist them.

Whether it is a single bag of groceries to hold a family over until the next paycheck or a longer term need, assistance is available, said Marczely.  

Some services include the U.S. Farmers to Families Food Box program available at the old Cape Cod 5 headquarters in Orleans as well as the Cape Cod Community College in West Barnstable.  

A large box of food can be provided by the service in Orleans on Wednesdays from 10 am to 1 pm until December 30, and in West Barnstable on Saturdays from 10 to 12 until December 26.

 “There are so many different resources on the Cape, and just making sure that people are aware of what those resources are so that nobody goes without food who needs it on Cape,” said Marczely.

Marczely said that her department can also assist in overcoming obstacles such as transportation and finding the right organization to assist.

“What I’ve always loved about the Cape is that we’re such a close-knit community and everybody loves to support each other to make sure people don’t have any barriers in the way of getting them that foods that’s here already,” said Marczely.

Food insecurity resources, events, and holiday programs can be found at the Barnstable County Human Services website.

About Grady Culhane

Grady Culhane is a Cape Cod native from Eastham. He studied media communications at Cape Cod Community College and joined the CapeCod.com News Center in 2019.



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