Gus "The Grocery Bus" has hit the road! Every Tuesday, we drive our retrofitted '99 Winnebago RV to Marlborough to deliver healthy, nourishing meals to residents in need.
On April 29th, Gus made his inaugural stop at Countryside Village, an affordable housing apartment complex on Boston Post Road East. Inside the bus, Marlborough Mayor Christian Dumais and other volunteers plated to-go containers full of American Chop Suey and a vegetable blend, kept hot in the steam table. We handed out the meals while residents also picked out pastries, cake pops, breakfast sandwiches and lunch options donated by Starbucks. They left smiling, with bags full of food, confident they know where their next three meals would come from.
Each Tuesday trip allows us to distribute about 300 meals to residents like Kelsey, a single mom who struggles to afford groceries. She works at a preschool but barely earns enough to pay the bills.
"It's me and my son, and I work, but I don't make much money," Kelsey said. "We have SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) but only so much, so this definitely helps."
Grant funding from the Cummings Foundation and Greater Boston Food Bank, along with support from BJ's Wholesale Club, allows us to take Gus out on the road.
Every week, United Way of Tri-County's (UWTC) Director of Food Security, Joe Mina, and staff from the Pearl Street Cupboard & Café prep Gus in Framingham, loading on a hot meal made by Chef Vicki Cataldo as well as the popular items from Starbucks.
Marlborough Community Cupboard (MCC) Director, Barbara LaGrenade, and her staff along with UWOTC Board Chair, Bob Moran, and others were there to celebrate Gus' first visit.
As soon as Gus first pulled into the courtyard at Countryside Village, Mayor Dumais and his Chief of Staff, Heather Gutierrez, jumped on board.
"Happy to help out," the Mayor said while plating a meal. "We're thankful to the Cummings Foundation and obviously the United Way for doing all of this. This is what community is all about."
Countryside Village, owned by Trinity Management, welcomed Gus and spread word that we'd be bringing free food every week. The news came as a relief to residents, ranging from young families to retirees, who are just scraping by.
Carol, 62, worked as a respiratory therapist but is now disabled. She was thrilled to see us on Day one, having just run out of SNAP benefits to pay for food.
"I went to the grocery store this morning and spent a little less than $200 and that was all I have left," she said.
Gus is our latest food security initiative at the UWOTC, allowing us to help close the "meal gap" in MetroWest. We’re focusing first on Marlborough, where, according to the GBFB, 27% of residents lack access to three meals a day.
We own and operate the Marlborough Community Cupboard, as well as pantries and meal programs in Framingham and Clinton, but Gus allows us to go directly to spots like Countryside Village where the need is greatest.
According to Trinity Management, Countryside has 118 apartments and provides "nearly all the affordable housing that is offered in Marlborough."
After leaving Countryside, we drop off additional meals every week at Roland's House, a male homeless shelter run by the South Middlesex Opportunity Council (SMOC).
Mina said the hope is to add other locations, including Natick, to bring either bags of groceries or meals to those in need.
Alison, a resident at Countryside, appreciates the food we bring every week for her family of five. Her boyfriend works as an electrician while she stays home with their youngest child, and money is tight.
"Groceries are just expensive these days," she said. "Just having you guys help out is amazing and it's going to help a lot of families."
To donate to support Gus the Grocery Bus, visit uwotc.org/Gus or Text GUS to 40403