Meetings Ahead
Most meetings in Eastham are in person, typically with an online-attendance option. Click on the meeting you want to attend on the calendar at eastham-ma.gov for a link to an agenda and details. All meetings are at Town Hall unless otherwise indicated.
Thursday, June 27
- Council on Aging Board of Directors, 9 a.m.
- Board of Health, 3 p.m.
Monday, July 8
- Select Board, 5:30 p.m.
Conversation Starter
Check the Fridge
Starting Thursday, a refrigerator in the town offices on Route 6 will be stocked with fresh produce for anyone in the community to take, no questions asked. In July, the fridge, which will be located near the health dept.’s office, will also be stocked with lunches provided by the Food 4 Kids program.
The town’s director of health and environment, Hillary Greenberg-Lemos, told the Independent that the results of a community health assessment showed that one of the issues people were concerned about was food insecurity. She organized the community fridge program with those who live in housing that lacks adequate cooking facilities in mind.
Patrice Barrett, a public health resource coordinator for Barnstable County who helped get the program started, said that it may take some time to determine how often the fridge will need to be restocked depending on the community’s needs.
Other Cape Cod towns have similar programs. The Provincetown library has had its “crop swap” program since 2019. Hyannis started a community fridge program last year, and Harwich is launching one shortly.
“They’re popping up everywhere,” said Andrea Marczely, the food access coordinator at Cape Cod Cooperative Extension. “I think that’s going to be a trend we’ll start seeing as more and more towns take that concept that was first started in Provincetown and replicate it to some degree in their own towns.”
According to the Mass. Dept. of Transitional Assistance, 435 Eastham residents received SNAP benefits in May. —Jack Styler
