Politicians, business leaders and citizens converge to celebrate ribbon cutting

On April 14, leaders from the Hopkinton Chamber of Commerce hosted a ribbon cutting celebration for Project Just Because at their new facility on South Street.

PJB operates two food pantries out of the building; one for Hopkinton residents and one for any resident of Massachusetts. Families in need are confidentially supplied with food, clothing, and essential household items.

They have seen exponential growth in demand since COVID-19. Prior to the pandemic, PJB served about 40 families per day; today is it more than 200 families per day. In 2023, PJB will serve more than 210,000 families and provide 27,000 gifts for children this holiday season.

PJB was founded in 1998 by Hopkinton resident Cherylann Lambert Walsh in her garage. Cherylann saw a food insecurity crisis in her local community and opened her heart to individuals and families in dire need, providing them with basic necessities. The organization relies exclusively on donations (both money and items) and is almost entirely volunteer-run. 

State Representative James Arena-DeRosa had this to say about PJB’s impact:

Cherylann spoke with HopNews about what this ribbon cutting means to her:

Watch the ribbon cutting: