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The Allston-Brighton Food Pantry is aiming to re-open during the first week of May as it undergoes repairs caused by winter storms earlier this year.

The food pantry has been closed since February 6 after winter storms led to structural damage on the roof and leaking in the building. About seven areas inside the building and nearly 40 percent of the roof needed to be reconstructed. The lobby’s ceiling caved in, and there were leaks in the public bathroom and main working space, said Grace Wang, food justice volunteer coordinator at the Allston-Brighton Food Pantry. 

Matthew Rasure, director of development and consultant for organizational restructuring at the pantry, explained how a public restroom is necessary and “a cornerstone” of any “publicly accessible building.” 

Due to extensive damage, Rasure said they had to “tear things down to the studs,” including the removal of walls, roof ceilings, insulation and electrical work, and then rebuild it all. The overall construction is currently about 65 percent complete. 

The entire construction project is going to cost the pantry a total of 120,000 dollars. Their insurance company is covering 70,000 dollars, and the remaining 50,000 dollars is being raised through their 2026 Building Re-Opening Campaign. 

“It’s definitely very important in terms of addressing food insecurity, which is impacting the neighborhood,” said Clodagh Drummey, executive director of Presentation School Foundation Community Center. “So, the closure was a significant loss for the community.” 

Upon hearing of the pantry’s closure, Drummey said she reached out to Rasure and Wang to see if they needed any assistance. They hosted an appreciation event together at the community center March 28 to engage with the pantry’s volunteers. 

Ishtiyaq Shajahan, a senior student at Boston University, said that food pantries have become increasingly important over the past year. Over this past June, Shajahan volunteered and conducted participatory research at the Allston-Brighton Food Pantry and Brighton Farmer’s Market about food access through the Innovate@BU’s Enlight Fellowship Program. 

Through his work, he learned the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the  amount of food insecurity. Although the typical demographic of those who use food pantries were seniors on a fixed income or single mothers with children, after the pandemic, it expanded to those across various ages, classes, and races. 

He also said more community members relied on food pantries as a main source of food  after the One, Big, Beautiful Bill was signed into law July 4, 2025, cutting off nearly 17 million people from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program’s benefits nationwide.  

“The political climate is so volatile and uncertain,” said Shajahan. “So, what these nonprofits are doing, even though they’re really small organizations, have huge impacts in the community.”

When it is in operation, the pantry provides supper every Wednesday, giving a bag of groceries for each household and a hot meal for each family member. On the second and fourth Saturday of each month, they offer large dry pantry items like nonperishables and cans. 

They also have a community fridge containing food and supplies for people to self-access throughout the day and a thrift shop, open three days a week, which sells clothing and other items as cheap as one dollar. 

With the pantry closed, Wang said the community fridge remains open, continually stocked through food truck deliveries. They have eventually started to do small weekly distributions on Wednesdays and Fridays due to increase in demand. 

“We find such joy in being neighbors to those who turn to us and it has been devastating for us to have to close,” Rasure said. “And we are ready to serve again.” 

This story is part of a partnership between Allstonia and the Boston University Department of Journalism.