Newton-based Spoonfuls, New England's largest food recovery operation, is adding partners and new delivery routes as federal SNAP cuts push more families to local food pantries for the first time.

The nonprofit, which has operated for more than 16 years, recovers 140,000 pounds of food each week from grocery stores, markets and cafeterias across Massachusetts. Its trucks collect unsold food daily and deliver it the same day to community organizations.

Spoonfuls has no cold storage or warehouses.

"We've definitely heard a lot more anxiety from our clients," Sean Ahern, director of operations at the Newton Food Pantry, told Fig City News in a story published Saturday. "People who have never come here before are coming for the first time."

The surge in demand traces to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed by President Donald Trump, which expanded work requirements and added paperwork requirements for SNAP recipients. Since October 2025, roughly 160,000 Massachusetts residents, including almost 60,000 children, have lost SNAP benefits, a 15% decline statewide, according to MassLive. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities tracked an even steeper drop through May 2026: nearly 175,000 fewer participants statewide, including about 61,600 children.

At the Needham Food Pantry, an employee identified only as Lyndsey told Fig City News the client load has grown by almost 25% in the past year. She said the pantry relies heavily on Spoonfuls deliveries to meet the new demand.

In response, Spoonfuls has taken on new partner organizations, added stops to existing routes and begun building new routes in recent months. Even so, the organization maintains a growing waitlist of groups hoping to join.

Food Recovery Coordinator Andrew Staiti, who drives one of the daily trucks, told Fig City News his loads have climbed from about 2,000 pounds to closer to 3,000 pounds over several years with the organization. Spoonfuls recently partnered with Captain Marden's Seafood in Wellesley, adding fresh fish to its deliveries. Staiti said the nonprofit fills a niche by providing fresh, hard-to-access food that most pantries cannot source on their own and distributing it continuously.

Each route ends at a "catch-all stop," an organization with enough storage and foot traffic to absorb whatever remains on the truck, ensuring nothing goes to waste. More than 120 donors participate daily, and every Food Recovery Coordinator is ServSafe certified and inspects food at pickup.

Residents who want to donate, volunteer or request food recovery service can visit spoonfuls.org.