Solving for Hunger: How Tatte Bakery Fed 244 Families for 2 Months During COVID

Hunger & Homelessness During COVID-19

Heading Home Partners with Tatte Bakery to Deploy Boston Resiliency Fund Support

Boston Resiliency Fund directed support to Heading Home in the second round of funding in mid-April, targeted to support Boston families whose well-being is most immediately impacted by COVID-19. The grant was awarded to fund one month of food procurement and distribution to all 250+ Boston-based Heading Home clients, including more than 400 children.

Hunger During a Pandemic: In these unprecedented times, Heading Home clients are both more vulnerable to becoming ill with the COVID virus as well as most impacted by the cascading impacts of school being closed, including the loss of two meals per day for their children. Support like the grant from Boston Resiliency Fund helps Heading Home reduce food insecurity for clients.

A Private Sector | Non-Profit Solution: Sourcing food via the Greater Boston Food Bank has been a direct solution during the pandemic for hungry clients in Heading Home’s multi-family congregate shelters. However, procuring and distributing family-size portions for 244 scattered site households proved initially challenging. In collaboration with several private sector partners, a sourcing and delivery model has been built.

“It is a win-win,” says CEO, Danielle Ferrier, “benefiting several companies in the private sector, whose businesses have been negatively impacted by the pandemic, while solving hunger for our homeless families.”

In partnership with thought leader, Tzurit Or, founder of Tatte Bakery, and with the assistance of Katsiroubas Brothers, a wholesale food distributor, creating a model that solved a broader yet more specific type of food insecurity began to take shape. Beautiful boxes, curated with extraordinary attention to detail and dignity by Tzurit’s team, are filled with healthy and nutritious ingredients sourced by Katsiroubas Brothers. A presently quiet HVAC company, Bruno Brothers, has willingly pivoted to be part of the model and will manage the delivery to 244 unique households, beginning in late April.

“Thank you for this incredible opportunity; we are so honored and thankful to partner with Heading Home. The boxes of food we have created will allow families to eat healthy foods and will provide great comfort and joy for parents and kids alike,” said Tzurit Or.