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Video: On the Road with the Rhode Island Community Food Bank 🚚
Ever wondered about the connection between the food the RI Food Bank acquires and our 137 member agencies around the state?
Our latest video connects the dots: Rhode Island Community Food Bank CEO, Melissa Cherney, accompanies our Lead Driver, John Mulholland, on one of his weekly food deliveries to member agency Blackstone Valley Community Action Program (BVCAP) in Pawtucket.
Growing Solutions to Food Insecurity
Memorial Day marks the unofficial start of summer for Rhode Islanders, and it also marks the start of the growing season for Rhode Island gardeners and farmers.
The Rhode Island Community Food Bank’s member agency food pantries and meal sites around the state are committed to ensuring Rhode Islanders get the nutrition they need to thrive. Many develop community-centric solutions to the unique set of circumstances facing their neighbors, and CCAP is a prime example, using community gardening to increase the amount of fresh, locally-grown produce available in their food pantry. In addition to producing gorgeous produce, community gardening also offers enriching volunteer opportunities, builds a sense of community, and affords neighbors opportunities to connect with land stewardship.
Member Agency Spotlight: CCAP
CCAP is growing their own sustainable solutions to food insecurity. Nestled behind CCAP (Comprehensive Community Action Program)’s social services building on Doric Street in Cranston, you’ll find an urban oasis. The CCAP community garden boasts mature fruit trees and berry bushes, nurtures a variety of pollinator-friendly plants, and greenhouse- and garden-grown produce and herbs — including a variety of those that are culturally familiar to the neighbors they serve.
With multiple greenhouses, raised beds, an irrigation system for watering, and more, the CCAP community garden, led by Alan Newton, produces thousands of pounds of produce annually. Alan, a volunteer-turned-employee of CCAP, honed his gardening prowess from the URI Master Gardener program and leads a team of volunteers who keep the community garden humming – from weeding, pruning, harvesting – you name it.
As a result, the community garden distributed 4,700+ pounds locally-grown produce to guests of CCAP’s food pantry in 2025 alone, and they distributed vegetable plants to neighbors as well so they could grow their own at home.
As food insecurity remains a pervasive threat to Rhode Islanders due to changes to federal programs, rising inflation, and other economic factors, the strain on food pantries persists. Community gardening is a grassroots, community-centric, and sustainable solution to the persistent need of food insecurity, and CCAP in Cranston is a prime example of these ideals in action.
Founded in 1982, the Rhode Island Community Food Bank serves as the central hub for food distribution across its state-wide network of 137 member agencies, ensuring that nutritious food reaches those who need it most in RI. Through donations, federal programs, and community partnerships, the Food Bank works to improve the quality of life for all Rhode Islanders by advancing solutions to the problem of hunger.
The RI Food Bank is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Your donation is tax-deductible as allowed by law.
Rhode Island Community Food Bank︱rifoodbank.org︱(401) 942-6325︱200 Niantic Avenue, Providence RI 02907︱contactus@rifoodbank.org
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