People are hungry primarily because they do not have enough money to pay for even the most basic necessities -- including food. Many of those who are hungry are working full time, but just not earning enough to make ends meet. A record number of Massachusetts residents are without health insurance. Faced with shrinking wages and no medical benefits, many working families find themselves in a crisis, struggling to stay above water and turning to emergency food programs for help feeding their children. With more working families in need of food assistance and with cuts to public programs, private charities will face increasing pressure to meet the needs of hungry people in our state.

Thousands of hard-working families in Massachusetts must now regularly choose between paying the rent, seeking medical care for their children, or putting food on the table. During the winter months when utility bills are high, many more families are forced to cut their food budgets and seek help from emergency food pantries and meal programs. One local study reported that the percentage of children who are underweight as a result of malnutrition increases sharply after cold winter months, underscoring the tragic "heat or eat" dilemma many low-income families face. Additionally, many children go hungry during the summer months when they do not have access to school breakfasts and lunches. (Project Bread)

A survey by the Greater Boston Food Bank reflects that especially with a poorly performing economy, poverty and its end result, hunger, is increasing. While the Massachusetts unemployment rate is less than 5%, 39% of the people served by The Food Bank are underemployed and 37% are working but not earning enough income.

The donated food collected by Boston Can Share is transported by Fedex or the U.S. Postal Service to the Greater Boston Food Bank. The Food Bank serves as a distribution center to over 200 food pantries, emergency meal programs & shelters.

• Proteins such as canned tuna fish, salmon, chicken, turkey, beef stew, canned nuts, peanut butter and canned meats
• Fruits and Vegetables including canned fruits and vegetables, juices and dried fruits
• Canned beans and peas
• Milk either evaporated or powdered
• Pasta, oatmeal and cereals, rice, canned soups

The Food Bank is unable to distribute baby food or baby formula collected through food drives. Dry packaging and cans are preferred. For safety reasons, the Food Bank is unable to accept donated baby food, baby formula, or food in glass containers. No perishable foods maybe donated.

Project Bread-The Walk for Hunger, one of the Can Share sponsors, operates the FoodSource Hotline which can be reached toll free at 1-800-645-8333 (TTY Line: 1-800-377-1292).

Project Bread's toll-free FoodSource Hotline responds to more than 30,000 calls a year from people across the state struggling to feed their families. FoodSource Hotline counselors refer callers to food resources in their communities. Hotline counselors also provide callers with appropriate information on public programs including Food Stamps, meal sites for the elderly, meals on wheels programs, salvage food distribution sites and other programs that supply free or low-cost food.

Project Bread's FoodSource Hotline now has the ability to help hungry families in 140 languages -- from Arabic to Cambodian, Russian to Vietnamese. Project Bread provides a special service that links callers with a translator, usually within 30 seconds. Project Bread's FoodSource Hotline has also installed a TTY line to serve deaf callers. Both of these services are available statewide.

The Boston Can Share Food Drive is truly a community partnership. The Food Drive is coordinated by the Mayor's Office. Financial support for boxes, brochures, and posters is provided by Project Bread-The Walk for Hunger. Fifty corporate sites, the 90 Post Office branches, and the Boston Centers for Youth & Families are recruited to serve as drop-off locations. In addition, 55 Boston City Departments and 100 Boston Public Schools participate by collecting food and raising funds. The food is collected during the three week period. Fed-Ex then picks up the donated goods from the corporate sites, the U.S. Post Office picks up from their locations, and the City of Boston picks up from their locations. All the food is then delivered to the Greater Boston Food Bank. In recognition of the 20th year of Can Share, KeySpan has made a generous contribution to the food drive.

During the weeks of Can Share from October 17th to December 5th, you can bring donated food to Any Boston post office, Boston Center for Youth & Families community centers, and Downtown Fed-Ex/ Kinko's stores. See Drop-off locations for street address of all of these locations.

Contact The Emergency Shelter Commission at 617-635-4507 or email