The Open Door Mobile Market

A former high school student at the Middlesex School, Matt Kafker accomplished a great deal as both a student and a cross-country runner. In addition to receiving multiple honors for his academic and athletic achievements, he performed community work with a number of charitable organizations. Matt Kafker volunteered five days a week at the Open Door Food Pantry in Gloucester, Massachusetts, during summer vacations. 

The Open Door Food Pantry has served families and individuals on Cape Ann for nearly four decades. Over the years, it has significantly expanded operations to support additional services, which range from SNAP food-stamp prescreening to the Second Glance Thrift Store. It also distributes fresh fruits and vegetables through its Mobile Market program.

Qualified households receive access to free produce on a weekly basis through the Mobile Market. The project erects small, temporary markets at 10 different Gloucester-area locations each week. These locations include Riverdale Park and Willowood Gardens as well as the Rose Baker and Ipswich Senior Centers. In addition to offering produce from food banks, grocery stores, local farms, and wholesale markets, the Mobile Market provides free samples, presents cooking demonstrations, and distributes recipes.

The Street Outreach Programs at Pine Street Inn in Boston

Dedicated to giving back to the community, Matt Kafker donates his time regularly to Pine Street Inn, a shelter for people in need in Boston. On a weekly basis, Matt Kafker travels to the shelter to help serve food and deliver meals to people with disadvantaged backgrounds. Pine Street Inn provides a wide range of services for the Boston community, including street outreach programs.

Since their inception in 1986, the outreach programs have operated every day to provide individuals in need with blankets, clothing, food, or simply caring human contact. Because of various challenges, many people in need choose not to go to shelters for assistance. Street outreach teams build trust with these people to help ease them out of their current situation and create a sense of self-sufficiency. 

Currently, the shelter has daytime and nighttime outreach programs. Weekday mornings, the outreach team leaves the shelter to venture to surrounding neighborhoods and build relationships with those in need. During the night, teams consisting of counselors and nurses patrol the city in vans. The shelter invites people to call if they see someone in need of assistance day or night.