After $1 Million Anonymous Gift, Nourish Nantucket Announces Next Moves

Nourish Nantucket has announced how it will distribute $400,000 of the anonymous $1 million donation it received earlier this month to fund immediate food access for island residents.

The non-profit stated late last week that $225,000 will be distributed this fall to several agencies and organizations working to address food insecurity on Nantucket, including:

• The Nantucket Food Pantry to expand the Pantry’s grocery provisions and prepared meals
• Health Imperatives and the Warming Place to support grocery debit cards for the non-profits’ clients
• Pip & Anchor to help families receive weekly fresh produce and welcome new families into the local grocer’s Send It Boxes program
• Meals on Wheels to ensure no cuts in programming as the federal government slashes grants
• Additional HIP/SNAP benefits at the Sustainable Nantucket Farmstand.

“The first round of distributions to our food security partners demonstrates the viability of Nourish Nantucket, and we expect this to be just the beginning,” said Brooke Mohr, Nourish Nantucket Board President.

Nourish Nantucket is also funding new programs, and programs in collaboration with island partners to reach more people and strengthen food access. Another $175,000 in funding will be divided between Nourish Nantucket grocery debit cards providing immediate relief to over 400 people previously on a waitlist; a weekly produce farm truck at the Nantucket Boys & Girls Club, in partnership with Pip & Anchor; and a weekend backpack program with Nantucket Public Schools and in partnership with Stop & Shop’s School Pantry program.

“Nourish Nantucket is gaining momentum by the day,” Nourish Nantucket Advisory Council Chair Bruce Percelay said. “We ask everyone for their support.”

Nourish Nantucket did not immediately return a request for comment asking for more specific information about the distribution of funding and how much each specific program will be receiving.

The rest of the funds will be distributed over the next few years.

Food insecurity remains a significant issue on the island. Existing estimates suggest that around one in five island residents struggles to afford food, and the crisis has drawn increasing attention in recent years. Nourish Nantucket, founded in 2024, is part of the new wave of programs aimed at combating food insecurity on-island, which range from in-depth analytical studies to expanded deer hunting and have drawn the attention of organizations from the New York Times to the Nantucket Cottage Hospital.

Disclosure: Bruce Percelay is the publisher of Nantucket Current and N Magazine.