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Cape Cod Cooperative Extension reports surge in food‑pantry use, pilots regional resilience and purchasing programs
Summary
Cape Cod Cooperative Extension told the Assembly standing committee on Health & Human Services that local pantries and meal sites have seen a 30–40% jump in use amid SNAP disruptions and other pressures; Extension described a new online referral form, a CARROT resilience audit and $1.2 million in state grants for local purchasing.
Andrea Scarpolini, food access coordinator for Cape Cod Cooperative Extension, told the Cape Cod Regional Government Assembly of Delegates’ standing committee on Health and Human Services that local food pantries and meal sites are seeing a sharp increase in demand tied to recent SNAP disruptions and other economic pressures. “We have been seeing such an increased huge number of people needing the pantries,” Scarpolini said.
Scarpolini and a colleague, identified as Kim (a nutritionist with Cooperative Extension), said pantries report a roughly 30–40% increase in usage, including many households that had not used pantries in a decade. To respond, Extension created an online food‑access request form that routes referrals to staff for vetting, connects eligible households to homebound delivery lists, and expedites referrals from partners such as WIC, health-imperative programs and councils on aging.
The presentation described CARROT (Community and Agriculture Resilience Audit Tool), a resilience assessment that uses seven themes and about 101 indicators to score food‑system capacity across the region. Scarpolini said CARROT is being carried out in coordination with partners including Cape Cod 5 and the Marion Institute and will feed into a 2026 regional food‑system assessment covering six counties and the islands.
Scarpolini also said Extension secured two grants through the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources totaling $1,200,000 to buy locally produced fruits, vegetables, meat and seafood for free distribution across all 15 Cape Cod towns. “We were able to provide all that food free of charge across all 15 towns on The Cape,” she said, and added that state officials have asked Extension to share lessons learned so the approach can be replicated elsewhere in Massachusetts.
Other initiatives described included a new partnership with the sheriff’s department to bake bread in a vocational program for incarcerated women and deliver it to community partners, and expanded coordination with county public health and local horticulture programs to strengthen local sourcing and distribution networks. Scarpolini credited county communications staff (Rebecca Westgate and Sonia Sheasley) and a broad network of municipal and nonprofit partners for outreach and volunteer coordination.
Committee members praised the work and asked how outreach and emergency coordination operate; Scarpolini said Extension works closely with emergency management lead Chip Riley, the Red Cross, Salvation Army and United Way to push information rapidly in a prolonged emergency. The presenters offered to return with more detail and to share blog resources and prior recordings.
The committee did not take formal action on the presentation. Scarpolini said Extension would continue to expand the CARROT assessment and distribution partnerships.
