New food pantry to launch in Winchester

A.C.C.E.S.S. is preparing to add a weekly food pantry in Winchester next month.

A.C.C.E.S.S. is preparing to add a weekly food pantry in Winchester next month, a response the group says comes as more residents have asked for help with groceries.

The pantry will operate out of the United Church of Winchester at 99 Main St. and will be open Saturdays from 8-10 a.m. beginning in November. A.C.C.E.S.S. said the pantry will provide groceries and food staples depending on what is available, and it is also looking for volunteers to help with Saturday distribution.

Program Director Natalie Quevedo said by email that the idea grew out of local demand and concern about the coming winter season. She said the pantry is being launched as farming slows down, grocery costs remain unstable and heating oil prices continue to rise, leaving some households facing difficult choices between food and heat.

The new effort will be run through A.C.C.E.S.S. FOOD, the nutrition-focused branch of A.C.C.E.S.S. Winchester. The nonprofit, based at Winchester School at 85 Parker St., already provides afterschool care and activities for Winchester students. Quevedo said A.C.C.E.S.S. FOOD previously offered hot meals and food deliveries to area residents, later scaled back the program, and now continues to deliver food to several families and seniors.

The pantry announcement comes during a period of rising food costs nationally. The U.S. Department of Agriculture reported that grocery prices in August were 2.2 percent higher than a year earlier, while overall food prices, including restaurant meals, are expected to finish the year 2.9 percent higher on average than 2025. The same forecast projects another 2 percent increase in 2027, which would push prices nearly 5 percent above 2025 levels if the estimate holds.

The local rollout also arrives as changes to SNAP funding under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act take effect this month. Under the new rules, states must now pay 75 percent of administrative costs, an increase of 25 percent.

Those financing changes add to earlier eligibility limits already in place, including work requirements for adults ages 18-64 without dependents and the elimination of work requirement exemptions for families with children ages 14 or older.