WESTFORD — Fresh apples and strawberries. Piles of onions and bread. And eggs, meat and prepackaged meals fill long tables inside the Cameron Senior Center.
On a recent September afternoon, about 80 people, most of whom are Westford residents, moved through the tables and shopped that day — each person leaving with about one to two bags of free groceries.
The Cameron Food Distribution Program is volunteer-run and makes it possible for food donated from Panera Bread in Westford; Whole Foods Market in Westford and Nashua, New Hampshire; and Trader Joe’s in Acton to be shared with residents who need help affording groceries.
On Mondays and Thursdays, the program is open to anyone age 55 and older to shop for free groceries with Westford residents being served in the first group. Between January and August 2025, the program had 5,777 shopping visits by people, mostly from Westford residents.
(In the photo at the top of this article, Linda Weisenbloom of Westford laughs as a volunteer jokes with her. Photo credit: WestfordCAT Jennifer Nejman Bohonak).
Many people came early to nab a low number on the list to be called in to shop when the selection is best, but Joe Lapiana, 80, of Westford, said people also arrive hours before shopping to socialize. Lapiana is a board member on the Westford Council on Aging and a retired human anatomy and general biology high school and college teacher.
Lapiana said he comes to the food distribution program on Mondays and Thursdays.
On Thursdays, the program spills over to a second room, and, in addition to fresh produce and prepackaged meals, includes nonperishable items like cereals, canned goods and paper towels.
“With the current price of vegetables, well, the current prices at the supermarket period, I think everybody that comes can, in fact, save anywhere between $20 and probably $60 bucks a week,” Lapiana estimated.
He says he is “somewhat” having trouble meeting his grocery budget, but he said he knows that food insecurity is a big issue, especially with seniors. He worries about how recent cuts to federal food assistance programs will affect local seniors, noting that living in Westford is much more expensive than it was years ago.
Chatting with him that day is George Pile, 76, of Westford. Pile volunteers with the program on Thursdays to pick up one of the Whole Foods Market donations. For Pile, a Vietnam veteran and retired heavy equipment operator, saving money through the grocery program really helps. He estimates that he saves about $75 a week on groceries.
“They didn’t treat the Vietnam veterans very good when I got back, so it was hard to get a good job,” he said, adding, his job didn’t lead to him having much of a retirement fund, so he uses VA benefits and Social Security to pay his expenses.
Pile said some of the items he sees at the food distribution program would be too expensive for him to buy in the store, but he appreciates having the opportunity to try them. Pile and Lapiana both noted the variety of cheeses, fruits and desserts.
“I appreciate what they do for us. The ladies [who run the program] are terrific. The food is terrific,” Pile said, adding, he doesn’t mind if the food needs to be eaten soon because its shelf life is almost over.
The food is donated to the Cameron Senior Center because it would go to waste in the stores if it didn’t sell soon, but it is safe to eat and volunteers follow guidelines and check all of the dates.
Linda Weisenbloom jokes with volunteers as she carefully selects each tomato and apple for her grocery bag.
“I love to cook. I cook from scratch. I make my husband a beautiful meal every night,” Weisenbloom said. She enjoys seeing friends and appreciates the program. “This helps. This definitely helps,” she said.
Volunteers Power the Program
The Cameron Food Distribution Program was started by volunteers Patti Mason and Frances Kosenko, formally, almost 10 years ago when Whole Foods Market began donating. But before that, Panera Bread would drop off items to be distributed.
Kosenko said she grew up in poverty in Connecticut and her mother taught her not to waste food. “This is my thing. I gotta do it. I like to be busy and I like to help people,” Kosenko said.
Mason said participants have told her the food program saves them money in their budget so they can keep their homes a little warmer in the winter.
In recent months, Mason has noted an increase in participants. In August, the program served people in 553 grocery shopping visits during eight days of distribution. August 2025 also marked the highest number of people coming on a single day, when 90 people were served. Mason said some people do come to both weekly food distribution days, but a lot come just one of the days.
The nonperishable items distributed on Thursdays are donated from Whole Foods Market, Trader Joe’s and the Walmart in Hudson, New Hampshire, Mason said.
Produce and prepackaged food that is not distributed is given to the Coalition for a Better Acre in Lowell for distribution. Mason said spoiled produce goes to a local farm.
Mason said the program is reliant on volunteers and is a team effort with people offering to do store pickups, sorting the food and helping clients as they move through the line.
Jennifer Claro, director of the Cameron Senior Center, said this food distribution program is run by older adult volunteers. The senior center also collaborates with Westford Food Pantry to run a food distribution program based on income need that is open to younger individuals and families.
Claro said she asked the volunteers to take on the program because the Cameron Senior Center staff could not run it. “Who would have known that it would grow to the level that it has?” she said.
It has become a help for the regular attendees of the senior center, many who live in income-based housing, Claro said.
The volunteers pick up the donations, set up the food on the tables, clean up, and they use their own money for gas. “I’m just amazed at the generosity of the volunteers with their time and resources,” she said.
