Martha's Vineyard Island Food Pantry

Islanders Rally To Put Food on Holiday Tables

Katrina Liu | Thursday, November 20 2025 - 4:35pm

As the Thanksgiving holiday arrives, Island organizations and individuals are making sure everyone has the opportunity to give thanks this season through donations of free food and a free holiday dinner.

According to Island Grown Initiative food equity director Merrick Carreiro, ensuring that everyone has food on the table is essential at this time of year.

Thanksgiving

Island Food Pantry

New Home in the Works for Food Pantry

Louisa Hufstader

A former musicians' workshop on Dukes County avenue in Oak Bluffs will become the Island Food Pantry's permanent home, if regional and town officials agree to the proposal by the pantry's parent nonprofit, Island Grown Initiative.

As Food Insecurity Rises, So Do Efforts to Curb It

Louisa Hufstader

Food insecurity, once a seasonal issue as Islanders tried to get through the winter when jobs are traditionally scarce, continues to climb, creating what officials say is an acute year-round crisis.

Island Grown Finds New Home for Food Pantry

Thomas Humphrey

Island Grown Initiative purchased an old warehouse in Oak Bluffs last week and plans to convert it into a the permanent home for the nonprofit's food pantry.

As Supplemental SNAP Benefits End, Aid for Food Relief Arrives

Louisa Hufstader

On March 2, the federal government issued the last of its pandemic SNAP allotments, but a $1.3 million grant to the Martha's Vineyard Community Foundation is helping keep Islanders fed.

Food Insecurity Is on the Rise, as Are Efforts to Help

Louisa Hufstader

Getting Thanksgiving dinner on the table has been more expensive for everyone this year, and particularly so for Vineyard food charities, which are feeling the pincer grip of inflation and supply chain shortages.

Food Insecurity Sees Dramatic Rise

Kerry Lester Kasper

For many seasonal travelers, Martha’s Vineyard appears the epitome of an affluent Island, but many Islanders face a growing food insecurity made more dire by record inflation and a worldwide pandemic.