Shawmut Design and Construction completes <br>$25 million Community Servings' 31,000 s/f food campus

Jamaica Plain, MA Shawmut Design and Construction has completed its work on Community Servings new 31,000 s/f food campus. The updated facility, located at its longtime home, allows the nonprofit to triple production of nutritious, medically tailored meals, double the capacity for daily volunteers, and increase the number of food service job training graduates.

Shawmut, in partnership with architect Jacobs, development adviser QPD, and Bohler Engineering, completed the $25 million renovation and expansion, which includes a three-story addition at its 179 Amory St. complex. The new campus positions the organization to expand its service footprint and begin feeding even more critically and chronically ill individuals and their families across Massachusetts. The agency’s goal is to increase production to 1.5 million meals per year over the next decade which will alleviate the current waitlist of over 100 potential clients in need.

Community Servings and Shawmut celebrated the opening on December 17, with a formal ribbon-cutting ceremony. Attendees included governor Charlie Baker, Health and Human Services secretary Marylou Sudders, mayor Martin Walsh, Community Servings CEO David Waters, Shawmut CEO Les Hiscoe, and Shawmut vice president, New England Kevin Sullivan, among other distinguished guests.

The renovation included reconstruction of the existing building to provide additional classrooms, a kitchen extension, and storage. The Shawmut team also expanded the facility with a three-story, 17,000 s/f building that includes a commercial kitchen, administrative space, and community areas. Set to begin operation this month, the new campus includes more spaces for classrooms and culinary instruction, increasing the number of graduates from its Teaching Kitchen, including a Learning Kitchen that allows for visiting chefs from local restaurants and food service companies to lead hands-on culinary training. 

The new space also features a Volunteer Prep Kitchen that allows families with young children and individuals of different abilities to volunteer in meal preparation and packaging within a safe and universally accessible environment. Additionally, the expanded complex features a new Food & Health Policy Center focused on research into how medically tailored meals impact the costs of care in public and private health care models.

“It is especially meaningful for our team to partner with Community Servings, an organization that has been making immense impacts throughout the Commonwealth for more than 30 years.” said Sullivan. “We’re proud to continue our dedicated partnership by enhancing their facility that will triple the organization’s impact and further ensure that those living with chronic and critical illness are receiving nutritious, healthy meals.”

“For 30 years, we’ve been focused on bringing nutritious, scratch-made, medically tailored meals to our neighbors in need. With the opening of our new Food Campus, we plan to double and eventually triple the amount of meals we prepare and deliver over the next ten years,” said David B. Waters, CEO of Community Servings. “Our goal is to ensure that people across the Commonwealth who are living with critical and chronic illnesses receive the nutritious meals they need to maintain and improve their health.”

“Access to nutrition is crucial to overall well-being, and that’s especially true for the people supported by Community Servings, which is why we’re glad to see this expansion,” said Governor Baker. “We have been pleased to support Community Servings through the Massachusetts Food Ventures Program and look forward to the organization’s continued work to support vulnerable populations.”

Shawmut broke ground in May 2018 and completed work while the organization remained operational on site, eventually relocating administration offices into the three-story addition while the existing kitchen, volunteer meal preparation, and food-service training spaces were expanded throughout.