How local restaurant owners redirect surplus food across Boston

A record 40% of Massachusetts households experienced food insecurity in 2025, with more than half of those households turning to food charities for support.

• That rate has more than doubled since 2019, increasing pressure on community organizations to help fill the gap.

The story: Hunger is a year-round challenge that requires sustained support — but locally owned businesses can play a practical role in strengthening that network.

The idea: The Chick-fil-A Shared Table program connects surplus, prepared food from participating restaurants with nearby nonprofit organizations that can turn those ingredients into meals.

How it works: At the end of the day, participating Chick-fil-A restaurants package high-quality surplus food.

• Restaurants can donate ingredients like chicken filets, chicken strips, biscuits, mac and cheese, waffle fries, fruit cups and salads.

Local nonprofit partners pick up those donations, transport them safely and use the ingredients to create meals for people experiencing food insecurity.

• Nonprofit partners then build those ingredients into meals such as chicken parmesan, breakfast casseroles, stir-fries, smoothies and more.

The strategy: Locally owned and operated Chick-fil-A restaurants contribute food, but rely on the communities in which they operate to serve the food where they can best help.

The model gives restaurants a consistent process for redirecting usable food while giving nonprofit organizations ingredients they can incorporate into the meals they already prepare and distribute.

• Plus, because local Chick-fil-A's work with organizations located nearby, those donations can remain in the same communities where the food originated.

The local impact: Shared Table now operates at every Chick-fil-A restaurant in the Boston market.

• Those local partnerships have helped create more than 330,000 meals for neighbors in need.
• Nationwide, more than 2,700 participating restaurants work with local nonprofits, with more than 90% of Chick-fil-A restaurants participating in Shared Table.

The background: Since 2020, Chick-fil-A, Inc. and its local Owner-Operators nationwide have helped provide more than 200 million meals through its hunger-focused initiatives.

• Through Shared Table alone, Chick-fil-A restaurants and their nonprofit partners have helped create more than 50 million meals nationwide.
• In 2025, participating restaurants donated nearly 13 million pounds of ingredients to Shared Table partners, including 8 million pounds of chicken.

The takeaway: Shared Table gives Boston-area Chick-fil-A restaurants one impactful way to contribute: recover prepared food that still has value, put it in the hands of nearby nonprofit partners and help those organizations turn it into meals.

During Hunger Action Month this September, Chick-fil-A is highlighting those partnerships while raising awareness of food insecurity and the local work addressing it year-round.

• With every Boston-area Chick-fil-A restaurant participating, that work has already helped create more than 330,000 meals locally — and keeps surplus food moving toward neighbors who need it.

Learn more about the Chick-fil-A Shared Table program and its work in local communities.