BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — Boston City Council voted Thursday to convert a former Amazon building into a storage hub for food pantries.
The city allocated $2.5 million of federal Covid relief funds toward leasing and converting the facility.
"This would change the game here for soup kitchens and food access organizations as they now would have a centralized food storage hub," said City Councilor Gabriela Coletta.
The facility will include 5,500 square feet of cold storage space.
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Coletta said Milan, Italy already employs a similar system. Boston will lead the way for cities around the United States to create centralized food storage facilities for local soup kitchens.
According to the Greater Boston Food Bank's 2022 report, one in three people in Massachusetts struggles with food insecurity.
City officials said the goal of the program is to feed Boston residents grappling with a post-pandemic hunger crisis.
WBZ NewsRadio's Madison Rogers (@madisonwbz) reports.
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