Bunker Hill Community College Celebrates Third Year of Liberty Mutual Insurance Grant for DISH Food Pantry
Investment has helped BHCC expand access to food and basic needs for students and their families
Thursday, October 1, 2026
Bunker Hill Community College (BHCC) is marking the third year of a $150,000 grant from Liberty Mutual Foundation supporting its DISH Food Pantry, which provides food and other essential resources to students and their families.
Since opening in 2019, DISH has grown significantly in both the number of people it serves and the resources it provides. In 2025, the pantry distributed more than 131,000 pounds of food — an increase of more than 300 percent over five years — and served more than 1,000 households. Today, students can access resources through grocery pickup and automated food lockers, as well as programs such as a monthly diaper lottery.
Liberty Mutual has been a supporter of DISH since BHCC opened the pantry. The current three-year grant has helped DISH fill gaps in resources that may not be available through other sources, including culturally relevant and gluten-free foods, hygiene products, diapers and infant care items.
“We are grateful to Liberty Mutual for its stalwart support of the DISH and our students,” said BHCC President Pam Eddinger. “It has always been important to me that we address our students’ basic needs, because you can’t learn if you are hungry. We also know that our students are parents and caregivers, and it’s important that we feed their families, too. We are proud to have helped lead this movement to address campus hunger in America, and we could not do it without committed partners like Liberty Mutual.”
BHCC’s work on basic needs support has helped foster a national movement to recognize food insecurity as a significant barrier to student success. For two decades, the College has been an advocate for addressing student hunger not only through direct services, but also through broader policy and institutional change. The College’s approach emphasizes dignity, flexibility and access to foods and necessities that reflect the lives of the students and families it serves.
“The DISH team is so grateful for the long-term support of Liberty Mutual,” said Chelsea Alexander, DISH Food Pantry Coordinator. “This three-year grant provided significant funding that we could rely on year-over-year, supplementing our purchasing budget in a substantial way. Liberty Mutual’s support has given us the flexibility to fill the gaps and make DISH responsive to the real lives of our students.”
The continued support of partners such as Liberty Mutual has helped BHCC build on this foundation and strengthen the College’s capacity to ensure students have the resources they need to succeed.
Media Contact:
Eoin Cannon, Senior Advisor to the President for Public Affairs and Strategic Communications,
Bunker Hill Community College, Boston, MA 02129
617-291-4492 (cell) and 617-228-3402 (office); Email: eoin.cannon@bhcc.edu
About Bunker Hill Community College
With more than 50 years of academic excellence, Bunker Hill Community College (BHCC) is one of Massachusetts' largest community colleges, serving approximately 16,000 students annually. With campuses in Charlestown and Chelsea, BHCC offers a broad range of educational opportunities throughout Greater Boston. BHCC fosters a welcoming and supportive learning environment for students by offering associate degrees and certificates, early college and dual enrollment, community education, corporate training, and industry-specific programs.