North Shore food pantry sees big jump in families needing help

PEABODY - A food pantry on the North Shore says it's just getting busier with more families struggling these days.

Before the pandemic, in February 2020, Citizens Inn in Peabody served about 450 homes monthly.

That jumped to 850 in 2021 and now they're helping more than 1,100 households each month.

Workers aren't expecting to see that demand ease any time soon with higher prices everywhere.

"They have helped put food on my table," Linda Corsetti of Peabody told WBZ-TV. "It's stressful because I've gone a few times without anything to eat. There's a lot of people that have children that really need this."

For the past 20 years she's been coming to the inn. It's a place for families and individuals who are really struggling can find help and hope.

"We meet people where they're at and that's important," said Citizens Inn Executive Director Carolina Trujillo. "We are seeing a huge need for services and a huge need for food, a huge need for wrap around services."

The Haven from Hunger food pantry located under the resource center allows people a full grocery store experience from produce to back-to-school essentials.

With a focus on homelessness and hunger, Citizens Inn is meeting the needs of the community so people like Linda Corsetti can go home with a sense of security and dignity and not worry about where her next meal is coming from.

Citizens Inn doesn't just help people in Peabody, they extend to Salem, Lynn and Lynnfield and their shelter assists people from all over the state.

For more information, visit their website.