First Church Stoneham Food Pantry

08/28/2026

Hello Stoneham Gardeners! If you have more produce than you can handle, the food pantry will gladly accept it for its clients. The best days to drop off are Tuesday and Wednesday before noon (food is distributed to clients on Thursday). If you’d prefer to schedule a drop off, email us at [email protected] or give us a call at 781-438-0097 opt 1.

Not a gardener but interested in donating? Below is a list of the items we currently need the most. These items can be dropped off at First Church any time in the bin outside the center set of double blue doors on Church Street. Donations can also be dropped off at UPS Store on Main St. or at Stop & Shop on the donation shelf in front of the self-checkout area.

Thank you for your support!

Breadcrumbs
Brown Rice
Cake Mix
Coffee, reg drip and decaf drip
Crackers; Ritz, Club, Saltines, Townhouse, Wheat Thins
Cranberry Sauce, Jellied only
Instant Potatoes
Pancake Syrup
Pasta Sauce, Meat flavored only
Beans, Dried: Black, Chickpeas, Pinto, Red
Soups: Chowder, Creamed Chicken
Sardines
Spam
Tomato sauce, 15 oz and 8 oz
Baby Wipes
Dental Floss
Liquid Hand Soap
Shampoo
Conditioner
Dishwashing Liquid

08/10/2026

OUR SHELVES ARE CRITICALLY LOW! 🛒
The food pantry has been incredibly busy lately providing for our Stoneham neighbors! We are currently serving at least 115 households every month, distributing over 600 bags of groceries monthly. Because of this high demand, we are completely out of stock on several items and critically low on others. Can you help us keep our neighbors fed?

👇 HOW YOU CAN HELP TODAY 👇
• Donate Most-Needed Items: Some items can be purchased from our Amazon wish list and shipped straight to us. https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/2HDMABS71N5EZ?ref_=wl_share

• Share Your Garden Harvest: Our clients truly appreciate fresh vegetables! The best days to drop off are Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 9:30-1:00.

• Donate Grocery Bags: We rapidly exhaust our supply of bags. We welcome all clean, grocery-sized bags with handles—paper, plastic, or reusable.

Most items can be dropped off Tuesday to Friday between 9 AM and 1:30 PM at First Congregational Church, or by appointment. Or, you can drop off at the donation shelf at Stop & Shop or the UPS store on Main St. Please note that we cannot accept perishables, expired, damaged, or opened food items.
Thank you so much for your continuous generosity and for taking care of our community! 💚

Most Needed Items
Baked Beans
Chili with Beans
Crushed Tomatoes
Instant Mashed Potatoes, box preferred
Sugar, 2 and 4 lb
Breadcrumbs
Coffee, Drip, regular and decaf (no flavored please)
Dried Pinto Beans
Dried Chickpeas
Dried Red Beans
Chicken Broth
Instant Oatmeal Packets, flavored and plain

08/04/2026

Thank you to everyone who responded to our plea:

Send a message to learn more

07/22/2026

Looking for a way to give back? 🚗 We need one person to join our volunteer team each week on Thursdays, to deliver 1–2 food orders to local Stoneham residents.

• Pickup is anytime between 11:00 AM and 12:00 PM at the food pantry.

• You'll need a reliable vehicle, a strong back, and good knees (there are stairs involved at pickup and sometimes at the delivery location).

If you're interested in helping out your neighbors, please send us an email at [email protected].

07/20/2026

We are incredibly proud of Zoe Joffe, who just celebrated their b'mitzvah! Not only did Zoe achieve this wonderful milestone, they also decided to give back to our community in a significant way. For a mitzvah project, Zoe gathered more than 100 essential personal care and household items to donate to the First Church Stoneham Food Pantry. Thank you, Zoe, for your generosity, leadership, and for being an inspiring example of tikkun olam (repairing the world). You are truly making a difference!

If you’d like to donate groceries, check out our shopping list at https://www.firstchurchstonehampantry.org/donate-1. Items can be dropped off Tuesday to Friday between 9 AM and 1:30 PM at First Congregational Church, or by appointment. Or, you can drop off at the donation shelf at Stop & Shop or the UPS store on Main St. Please note that we cannot accept perishables, expired, damaged, or opened food items. You can also find information about making a financial donation on the same web page.

07/16/2026

Hello Stoneham Gardeners! If you have a surplus harvest of vegetables this summer, the food pantry would gladly accept them for its clients. The best times to drop off are Tuesday and Wednesday before noon, for distribution to clients on Thursday. If you’d like to schedule a drop off, email us at [email protected] or give us a call at 781-438-0097 opt 1.

Not a gardener but would like to donate? Below is a list of the items we currently need the most. These items can be dropped off at First Church any time in the bin outside the middle set of double blue doors. Donations can also be dropped off at UPS on Main St. or at Stop & Shop on the donation shelf.

Bread Crumbs, family size
Broth; Chicken and Vegetable only
Brownie Mix
Cake Mix
Coffee, reg drip and decaf drip
Crackers; Ritz, Club, Saltines, Townhouse, Wheat Thins
Cranberry Sauce, Jellied only
Pancake Syrup
Pasta Sauce, Meat flavored only
Pinto Beans, Dried
Soups: Chowder, Creamed Chicken
Spam
Tomato sauce, 15 oz and 6 oz
Baby Wipes
Body Wash
Dental Floss
Liquid Hand Soap
Shampoo

06/18/2026

Very thankful for the rain today nourishing our little pantry garden. It will be a while before these seedlings bear fruit but we are hopeful for a harvest as bountiful as last year’s. If you would like to help nourish your Stoneham neighbors, we've refreshed our list of needed items. You can also contribute financially, and those funds will go towards purchasing groceries and gift cards. For detailed information about how to donate as well as links to our Amazon and Walmart wish lists, please visit our website at https://www.firstchurchstonehampantry.org/donate-1

*** = most needed
***Au gratin Instant Potatoes
***Bread Crumbs, small & large
***Chili, with Beans
***Coffee, regular drip and decaf drip
***Dried Milk
***Mayonnaise, large and small
***Pancake Syrup
***Pasta Sauce with Meat (no other types needed)
***Ravioli, Canned
***Sloppy Joe Mix
***Sugar, 2 & 4 lbs
***Body Wash
***Dishwashing Liquid
***Deodorant, Male & Female
***Floss
***Shaving Cream & Razors, Male & Female
***Apple & Grape Juice, 64oz bottles
Beef Gravy
Crackers; Club, Saltine
Cranberry Sauce, Jellied Only
Tomato Paste, Tomato Sauce
Jams & Jellies, Strawberry and Marmalade, and any sugar free
Oatmeal, Instant; flavored and unflavored, and Old Fashioned
Peanut Butter
Snacks; Granola Bars, Microwavable Popcorn
Soup Broth; Chicken & Vegetable
Paper Towels
Toilet Paper
Shampoo & Conditioner

06/11/2026

Our community is hitting all the right notes with some seriously sweet support! The CMS band students kicked things off by turning their June 4 concert into a food drive, backed by the awesome Music Boosters.

Today, Girl Scout dad Chris Tsapatsaris delivered a carload of delicious cookies from Robin Hood School Troop 84134. From beautiful music to comforting treats, these back-to-back donations are filling hearts and bellies alike!

If you’d like to donate groceries, check out our shopping list below. Items can be dropped off Tuesday to Friday between 9 AM and 1:30 PM at First Congregational Church, or by appointment. Or, you can drop off at the donation shelf at Stop & Shop or the UPS store on Main St. Please note that we cannot accept perishables, expired, damaged, or opened food items. Every donation, no matter the size, is greatly appreciated.

If you wish to make a financial contribution to the Food Pantry, please visit our website at https://www.firstchurchstonehampantry.org/donate-1.
If you need food assistance, visit the Get Help page on our website for details on how to register. https://www.firstchurchstonehampantry.org/get-help

Most Needed Items, **High Priority

Au gratin Potatoes, Instant
Baking Soda & Baking Powder
Bread Crumbs, small & large
**Coffee: drip regular, instant regular, instant decaf
**Condiments: Ketchup & Mayo- small sizes only, Salad Dressing
Cookies: Sugar, Oreos, Chocolate Chip, Fudge Stripe, Sandwich
Crackers: Club, Ritz-like, Saltines
Cranberry Sauce, Jellied
Cup O Noodles
Gravy, canned: Beef, Chicken
** Jams & Jellies: Regular and Sugar Free (Strawberry, Raspberry, Marmalade)
Juice, Bottled: Apple
**Chocolate Pudding Mix
Snacks: Granola Bars, Microwavable Popcorn
**Spam
**Sugar & Flour, 2 & 4lb
Vegetables, Canned: Beets, Mixed Vegetables, Potatoes (we have plenty of all other varieties)
Tomato Products: Crushed, Sauce, Paste, Meat Flavored Sauce
Personal Care: **Shampoo & Conditioner, Toothpaste, **Floss, Deodorant, Razors, Shaving Cream, **Tampons, **Baby Wipes
Household Supplies: Dishwashing Liquid, **Laundry Detergent, Paper Towels, Facial Tissues, Toilet Paper

05/11/2026

A heartfelt thank you to the residents of Stoneham, the dedicated employees of StonehamBank, and our wonderful letter carriers for making the StonehamBank Shred Day food drive and NALC Stamp Out Hunger food drive on May 9 such a success! Despite the rain, StonehamBank collected 65 boxes of food along with $515 in monetary donations. Our letter carriers also did an incredible job by delivering 145 bags of essential food! A huge thank you goes to our fantastic volunteers who spent the day picking up and receiving donations, dating, sorting, and boxing thousands of items! Together, you’ve shown once again what a caring and generous community Stoneham truly is.

If you would like to make a financial contribution to First Church Stoneham Food Pantry, please visit our website at https://www.firstchurchstonehampantry.org/donate-1.

If you need food assistance, visit the Get Help page on our website for details on how to register. https://www.firstchurchstonehampantry.org/get-help

05/07/2026

In just 3 days, the Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive is back — and it’s never been simpler to assist your neighbors. Just place a bag of non-perishable food next to your mailbox, and your letter carrier will take it to First Church Stoneham Food Pantry. (With rain expected, it would be greatly appreciated if you could put your donation in a plastic bag, tied at the top.)

If you’re unable to leave a bag for your letter carrier, you can drop off items at the UPS Store located at 200 F Main St, at Stop & Shop (look for the shelves near the self-checkout), or at First Congregational Church from Tuesday to Friday between 9 AM and 1:30 PM.

We welcome donations of all non-perishable foods, as well as household and personal care products, but we do have a list of urgently needed items (below). Please remember that we cannot accept perishables, expired, damaged, or opened food items. Every donation, no matter the size, is greatly appreciated.

If you wish to make a financial contribution to First Church Stoneham Food Pantry, please visit our website at https://www.firstchurchstonehampantry.org/donate-1.

If you need food assistance, visit the Get Help page on our website for details on how to register. https://www.firstchurchstonehampantry.org/get-help

Most Needed Items
Au gratin Potatoes, Instant
Baked Beans, with Pork and Vegetarian
Baking Soda & Baking Powder
Bread Crumbs, small & large containers
Chili, Canned, with and without beans
Coffee: drip regular, instant regular, instant decaf
Condiments: Ketchup, Mayo, Mustard, Salad dressing; both small and family-size
Cookies: Sugar, Oreos, Chocolate Chip, Fudge Stripe, Sandwich
Crackers: Club, Ritz-like, Saltines
Cranberry Sauce, Jellied
Cup O Noodles
Gravy, canned: Beef, Chicken
Jams & Jellies: Regular and Sugar Free (Strawberry, Raspberry, Marmalade, Grape)
Juice, Bottled: Apple and Grape
Juice Boxes
Oatmeal; packets, flavored & plain, canisters; quick & old-fashioned
Pasta Meals, Canned: all types except Ravioli of which we have plenty
Snacks: Granola Bars, Microwavable Popcorn
Soup Broth, Canned: Chicken, Beef, Vegetable
Soups, Canned: Chowder, Italian Wedding Soup, Lentil, Minestrone, Vegetable (no other types needed)
Sugar, 2 & 4lb
Tuna Fish, White Only
Vegetables, Canned: Beets, Creamed Corn, Mixed Vegetables, Potatoes (we have plenty of all other varieties)
Tomato Products: Crushed, Sauce, Paste, Meat Flavored Sauce
Personal Care: Body Wash, Shampoo, Toothpaste, Deodorant, Razors, Shaving Cream, Bar Soap, Liquid Hand Soap, Menstruation Pads, Tampons, Baby Wipes
Household Supplies: Dishwashing Liquid, Laundry Detergent, Freezer Storage Bags, Paper Towels, Facial Tissues, Toilet Paper