Serving the Greater Lowell Area

We are most appreciative and grateful for all your support –  whether you volunteer, contribute to us thru monetary or food donations, or have the courage  to come and get much needed food for your families or yourself.

A Mission Born from Need
In 1993, during a major economic downturn, Sandy founded the Chelmsford Community Exchange. At the age of 55, she recognized an urgent need in the community: individuals and families were struggling to obtain enough food, a challenge we now commonly describe as food insecurity. 

Building the Pantry from the Ground Up
When Sandy made the food pantry her mission, she began with no funding and no permanent location. With determination, focus, and support from the Town of Chelmsford, she secured a room on the lower level of the old Town Hall. 

Gathering Support and Supplies
The next challenges were raising funds and finding food. While there is no record of the first donors, Sandy had deep connections with concerned Chelmsford residents who stepped forward to help. She rallied many people to support fundraising—an ability that seemed to come naturally to her.

In the pantry’s early days, Sandy traveled to food banks in Boston and Worcester to obtain needed supplies. She arranged the trips herself and drove her van to bring food back to Chelmsford. 

Sandy’s Leadership
With a small group of volunteers who assisted her in those initial years, Sandy remained the driving force. She made the Food Pantry her mission and built it from nothing. Those who knew her remember her as focused, determined, and unafraid to speak her mind. 

A Legacy
Today, gratitude is due to Selectperson Pat Wojtas, who suggested naming the new Pantry trailer in Sandy’s memory, and to our State Representative Simon Cataldo, who worked diligently with the town to help secure funding for the new trailer. The Chelmsford Food Pantry remains Sandy’s legacy, and dedicating the new trailer in her name is a fitting tribute to the mission she created.