Top 15 Churches in Boston Helping with Rent, Food, and Bills in 2027
The Eversource notice is on the counter, groceries cost more every week, and rent is due before payday. If that is your month in Boston, you are not alone, and neighborhood churches are a good place to start.
Boston's parishes and congregations run weekly pantries, soup kitchens, and shelters, and Catholic Charities and The Salvation Army offer limited emergency help with rent, utilities, and heating fuel. Some pantries serve certain ZIP codes or ask for ID and proof of address, so call ahead or dial 2-1-1.
Details reflect what each ministry publishes as of October 2026, not future guarantees.
How We Chose These Churches in Boston
We included Boston churches and church-rooted ministries with a regular aid program and public contact information, ranked by impact, accessibility, transparency, and openness to the wider community. We did not use Google ratings. Trust signals are facts you can check yourself as of October 2026, such as each ministry's own website and a February 2026 food-resource list filed with the Boston City Clerk.
1. Catholic Charities Boston — Yawkey Center
The archdiocese's social service agency, serving people of all faiths for over a century.
Primary assistance: Emergency rent, utility, and fuel assistance; weekday food pantry
Best for: Households with a shut-off notice, an eviction summons, or a notice to quit
How to get help: (617) 506-6600; 185 Columbia Rd., Dorchester, MA; ccab.org
The Dorchester pantry is open Monday–Friday, 10 a.m.–noon and 1–2 p.m. Bring something showing your name and address. Financial aid gives priority to shut-off notices, eviction summons, and emergency fuel needs, and is not guaranteed because funding is limited.
Trust signals: Priority rules, pantry hours, address, and phone are published on Catholic Charities Boston's Living Assistance and Food Pantries pages.
2. The Salvation Army Boston Kroc Center
Church and community center in Dorchester with a pantry and bill help.
Primary assistance: Emergency food pantry by appointment; utility assistance to prevent shut-offs; holiday help
Best for: Residents of ZIP codes 02121, 02125, and 02127
How to get help: (617) 318-6940; 650 Dudley St., Dorchester, MA; salvationarmy.org/boston-kroc
Pantry distribution is the second and fourth Tuesdays, 10 a.m.–noon, by appointment only, once a month. If you live outside those ZIP codes, call (617) 542-5420 for the nearest Salvation Army location.
Trust signals: Pantry schedule, appointment rule, ZIP codes, and utility program are published on the Kroc Center's Find Help page.
3. Boston Rescue Mission
Christian mission in Downtown Crossing serving Boston since 1899.
Primary assistance: Food pantry, meals for program guests, shelter and recovery programs
Best for: Downtown residents and people experiencing homelessness
How to get help: (617) 338-9000; 39 Kingston St., Boston, MA 02111; brm.org
The food pantry is listed Mondays 2–3 p.m. and Saturdays 2–3:30 p.m. Call for current program openings.
Trust signals: Founding year is on brm.org; pantry hours appear on the Mission's meal program page and the City Clerk–filed food list.
4. Twelfth Baptist Church Food Pantry
Roxbury Baptist church whose pantry has run since 1996.
Primary assistance: A week's supply of groceries, including produce, bread, and meat
Best for: Roxbury families who can come Tuesday at midday
How to get help: (617) 442-7855; 168 Warren St., Roxbury, MA 02119; tbcboston.org
Distribution is listed Tuesdays noon–1:30 p.m. from the building next to the church. ID is required; no appointment is needed.
Trust signals: The 1996 start and a weekly average of about 200 families are stated in the church's ministry guide; schedule and ID rule appear on the Lemontree food helpline.
5. St. Katharine Drexel Parish
Catholic parish serving Roxbury and Dorchester from two pantry sites.
Primary assistance: Food pantry
Best for: Roxbury and Dorchester neighbors
How to get help: (617) 445-8915; 175 Ruggles St., Roxbury, or 517 Blue Hill Ave., Dorchester; stkdparish.org
The Ruggles Street parish center pantry runs Thursdays 9–10 a.m. The Blue Hill Avenue church pantry runs the last Tuesday of the month, 9:30–11 a.m.
Trust signals: Both sites and schedules are published on the parish Outreach page and the City Clerk–filed food list.
6. Pilgrim Church (Dorchester)
Congregational church serving Dorchester since 1862, with a pantry and Saturday lunch.
Primary assistance: Weekly groceries and a Saturday soup kitchen
Best for: Dorchester families who can bring ID and proof of address
How to get help: (617) 282-0456; 540 Columbia Rd., Dorchester, MA 02125; pilgrimchurch1862.org
The pantry is listed Wednesdays 10 a.m.–2 p.m., once a month per household, until food runs out. A ready-to-eat lunch is listed Saturdays noon–1:30 p.m. Bring your own bags or a cart.
Trust signals: Founding year, schedule, and ID and address rules appear on the Lemontree food helpline; the church site was down when we checked, and other listings show different Wednesday hours.
7. Allston Brighton Food Pantry at Brighton Allston Congregational Church
Pantry, meals, and thrift shop run from a UCC church in Brighton.
Primary assistance: Weekly groceries and hot meal, larger pantry boxes, free thrift vouchers, a 24/7 community fridge
Best for: Allston-Brighton residents; no proof of need required
How to get help: (617) 254-4046; 404 Washington St., Brighton, MA 02135; abfoodpantry.com
Grocery bags and a hot meal are handed out every Wednesday, 3–6 p.m. Larger boxes are given on the second and fourth Saturdays.
Trust signals: Schedules, the no-proof policy, and monthly service figures are published on the pantry's Services page.
8. East Boston Community Soup Kitchen at Our Saviour's Lutheran Church
Volunteer soup kitchen founded in 2016, based at Our Saviour's Lutheran Church.
Primary assistance: Tuesday breakfast and lunch; Monday food bags
Best for: East Boston residents
How to get help: 28 Paris St., East Boston, MA; ebcsk.org
Meals are listed Tuesdays 8–11 a.m., and food bags Mondays with check-in at noon.
Trust signals: Founding date is on ebcsk.org; schedule and address appear on the East Boston Health & Food Coalition calendar.
9. Church of the Holy Spirit (Mattapan)
Episcopal parish with a weekly food distribution and health van.
Primary assistance: Food distribution with produce, rice, beans, milk, and eggs
Best for: Mattapan families
How to get help: (617) 298-0577; 525 River St., Mattapan, MA 02126; chsmattapan.org
Distribution is every Wednesday, 10 a.m.–noon. A YMCA mobile produce truck joins on alternate Wednesdays.
Trust signals: Schedule and items are published on the parish Community Engagement page; the pantry is also on the City Clerk–filed list.
10. Greater Boston Nazarene Compassionate Center
Nazarene compassion ministry on River Street in Mattapan.
Primary assistance: Food pantry
Best for: Mattapan and Hyde Park residents
How to get help: (617) 296-7450; 130 River St., Mattapan, MA 02126
Hours are listed Wednesdays and Fridays, 9 a.m.–1 p.m., though another list shows Wednesday only. Call to confirm.
Trust signals: Address, phone, and hours appear on Holy Spirit Mattapan's resource list and the City Clerk–filed list.
11. St. Mary's Episcopal Church (Dorchester)
Neighborhood Episcopal church whose pantry welcomes everyone.
Primary assistance: Food pantry supplied by the Greater Boston Food Bank
Best for: Dorchester residents
How to get help: (617) 282-3181; 14 Cushing Ave., Dorchester, MA 02125; stmarysdorchester.org
The pantry page lists the second and fourth Tuesdays, 9:30–11:30 a.m.; the site footer says Tuesdays. Call first.
Trust signals: "All are welcome," schedule, and food bank supply are stated on the church's pantry page.
12. Morning Star Baptist Church
Mattapan Baptist church with a weekday pantry.
Primary assistance: Food pantry, once per week per household
Best for: Mattapan residents who need a weekday option
How to get help: (617) 678-6781; 1257 Blue Hill Ave., Mattapan, MA
Hours are listed Monday–Friday, 10 a.m.–4 p.m. Call first.
Trust signals: Listed with hours and phone on Church of the Holy Spirit Mattapan's food resource page.
13. Voice of the Gospel Tabernacle
Mattapan congregation with a Friday morning pantry.
Primary assistance: Food pantry
Best for: Mattapan families
How to get help: (857) 312-0663; 47-49 Edgewater Dr., Mattapan, MA 02126
The pantry is listed Fridays, about 8:30 a.m. to noon, with other days by phone.
Trust signals: Address, phone, and hours appear on the City Clerk–filed list and Holy Spirit Mattapan's resource page.
14. St. Angela's Parish
Catholic parish in Mattapan Square with a monthly pantry.
Primary assistance: Monthly food pantry
Best for: Mattapan residents
How to get help: (617) 298-0080; 1548 Blue Hill Ave., Mattapan, MA 02126
The pantry is listed the second Thursday of each month at 9 a.m.
Trust signals: Address, phone, and schedule appear on the City Clerk–filed food list.
15. Charles Street A.M.E. Church
African Methodist Episcopal congregation on Warren Street.
Primary assistance: Twice-monthly food pantry
Best for: Dorchester and Roxbury neighbors
How to get help: (617) 442-7770; 551 Warren St., Dorchester, MA 02121
The pantry is listed the first and third Thursdays, 10:30 a.m.–noon; ID required. Call ahead to confirm.
Trust signals: Schedule and ID rule appear on the Lemontree food helpline; not yet confirmed on a church-run page.
Other Important Helplines in Boston
Mass 2-1-1 — dial 2-1-1 for rent, utility, fuel, food, and shelter referrals
Project Bread FoodSource Hotline — 1-800-645-8333, statewide food help
City of Boston Office of Housing Stability — (617) 635-4200, if you are at risk of losing your home
St. Francis House — (617) 542-4211, 39 Boylston St., nonsectarian day shelter open 365 days
Women's Lunch Place — (617) 267-1722, 67 Newbury St., meals for women Monday–Saturday
More Help in Nearby Cities
Looking for help outside Boston? These guides cover churches and ministries helping with rent, food, and utility bills in nearby cities:
Closing Thoughts
For food this week, Catholic Charities' Dorchester pantry is open every weekday, and church pantries run somewhere in the city almost every day. For rent, utilities, or heating fuel, call Catholic Charities at the Yawkey Center as soon as you get a notice, and ask the Kroc Center about utility help if you live in 02121, 02125, or 02127. Confirm hours by phone before you go.
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