Northshore magazine showcases the best that the North Shore of Boston, MA has to offer.
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/589641
102 | NOVEMBER 2015 nshoremag.com in-depth PLACES exchanging cash during the transac- tion, they give their bags over to be weighed, which provides data that captures what percentage of the food distributed is fresh produce. This last bit is a recently adopted procedure. "It's a brand-new way for us to do this," says LaFontaine. "We know how it is going to work in theory and on paper…but we need to train and practice…the good news is, if it's not working, we'll know it, and we can fix it." If all goes according to plan, they will have the numbers they need to be active in the "Food Is Medicine" pro- ject, which integrates food programs into healthcare systems. Currently, they partner with La- hey Health at Addison Gilbert Hospi- tal, working with medical profession- als as part of their five-year strategic plan. "We want to provide people in our community with the medically tailored meals they need to heal and have better health," says LaFontaine, who recently attended a conference in D.C., where this approach was among the topics discussed. She admits to being in the research phase but ultimately hopes to have their meals recognized by healthcare pro- viders. "It's something I am right on the edges of," she notes. And it starts with demonstrating the kinds of foods they distribute and measuring outcomes, which is exactly why they are changing their methodology. "We took pieces of models we liked and put them all together," ex- plains LaFontaine. "Our model allows us to capture the data that we need to be part of the conversation of where hunger meets healthcare… moving beyond traditional hunger relief to understand food is nutrition and nutrition is health—not just public health but healthcare." Outside the pantry, too, they've gotten pretty creative. (They've had to in order to reach all the clients they serve not only in Gloucester but also in Rockport, Manchester, Essex, and Ipswich.) What people commonly call a "soup kitchen," the folks at The Open Door refer to as "community meals." It's not just a different name; it's a different approach, which sees 50 to 60 people arrive each even- ing for a balanced meal—many are elders or single adults looking for nourishment from both the food and the companionship. "That program, as much as any, is about feeding the body as much as the spirit," explains LaFontaine. "There are a number of people who have a can of soup they could open at home, but they don't have anyone to share it with. The relationships that are built around the tables in that dining room are as sustaining to life as the actual nourishment in many cases." Referring to the experience as "a way to break bread," she describes how clients—40 different rotating groups from the greater commu- nity—are served in the dining room by volunteers, who also clear the table, bring dessert, and offer coffee. "There's dignity in the way it all hap- pens," notes LaFontaine. Something else that differentiates the experi- ence is a full-choice salad bar, the produce for which comes from local farms, 14 on-site raised beds, whole- sale purchases, and The Greater Boston Food Bank. The fresh salad offerings are meant to balance the typically high-fat, high-carbohydrate LaFontaine in the newly renovated space, which has tripled their capacity