Frequently Asked Questions
A: Yes! Call us at 978-283-6776. Our staff are happy to help you place your order over the phone. We are also here to help answer any questions you have, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. You can also email us at gethelp@foodpantry.org.
A: We have a translation service available via phone at 978-283-6776 with many languages available. You can also email us at gethelp@foodpantry.org and we will either call you back or reply in your language.
Our online ordering system is also available in Spanish, Italian, Portuguese and Arabic, in addition to English.
Even if you are fluent in English, if you’d prefer using a translation service, please let us know.
A: If you are a new client of The Open Door OR are returning to us after two or more years, you will need to fill out our “New Shopper” online form. The form will ask basic questions about you and your household. We aim to process “New Shopper” profiles within one to two business days.
Current shoppers already have a profile and can place an order by logging in with their Shopper ID and password (more information on this below).
A; You will get an email with your username and password once your profile has been approved. Once you do you can order right away at our online grocery ordering page.
A: Your Shopper ID is the first four letters of your last name, with the first letter capitalized, followed by your two-digit month of birth and two-digit day of birth.
For example, if John Smith was born on May 1, his Shopper ID would be Smit0501.
Your password is your six-digit date of birth. For example, if Smith was born in 1960, his password would be 050160.
If this format does not work for you, email us at gethelp@foodpantry.org or call us at 978-283-6776.
A: You can select a pick-up time at the end of your order online or by phone. Pick-up appointments are available on a first-come, first-served basis, meaning appointments for a given day may fill up. If this happens, please select the next available pick-up time that week that works well for your schedule.
Appointments are available Monday through Friday at our Gloucester Food Pantry, and Wednesday and Thursday at our Ipswich Community Food Pantry.
Deliveries are available for those who qualify (more information on this below).
If you need groceries immediately, emergency groceries are available for same-day pick-up during business hours at both food pantries. PLEASE NOTE: Emergency grocery “quick trips” contain staples for those with and without access to a kitchen, but will limit choice and do not offer access to our full inventory. For more choice, place an order in advance online or by phone.
A: Limited delivery is available for medical necessity and limited general hardship cases. To learn more, call 978-283-6776.
A: Some of the food we offer comes from The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) administered by the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture). The USDA requires us to ask this question each time you get food from us. To qualify you must meet their income guidelines, which you can see here.
A: Our available food and household products change from week to week. We might not have an item you ordered last week in stock, even though it was included in a previous order you placed. For this reason, we encourage you to go through our menu each week to see the options available to you so that you know that all of the items in your cart are in stock, and also so that you don’t miss any new items that may have arrived.
A: Clients may order groceries once every week. For example, if you placed an order on Monday, your next order can be placed on or after the following Monday.
A: Come directly to our Gloucester Food Pantry Monday through Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. or Thursday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. OR to our Ipswich Community Food Pantry Wednesday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Tell our staff or volunteers when you arrive that you need a quick trip, and we will provide you with basic grocery staples for the week. We also offer quick trip grocery orders tailored for those without access to a kitchen. You can make limited adjustments to your quick trip order, for example if you have an infant and need diapers let our staff know and they will add those to your quick trip.
Our same-day pickups are intended for those who need food immediately or whose schedule is unpredictable and does not allow them to make an appointment in advance.
If you are able to schedule an appointment online in advance to pick-up your groceries, we recommend you do so instead of coming directly to our pantries for a quick trip. Making an appointment in advance through our online ordering system will give you full choice over what is included in your order, so that you can pick and choose the items that meet you and your family’s taste, preferences, and dietary needs.
Please note: pick-up appointments may fill up for a given day and are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Choose the next available, convenient time for you to pick up your order.
A: If you click on this button, you can leave a note for staff about your preferences for items you have placed in your cart. For example, you can ask for a certain flavor or variety of an item, like Raisin Bran cereal or Caesar dressing. We do our best to accommodate requests but cannot guarantee your request will be met.
If you are not seeing an item in our menu, that means it is unfortunately not available through our inventory at that time.
This button should not be used to request additional items you have not placed in your cart. We also use this system to track our inventory and leaving a note asking for additional items does not comply with that system.
A: Call us at 987-283-6776. One of our staff will be able to grant you access to view all of the items available to you. PLEASE ALSO CALL IF YOU HAVE A BABY OR A OLDER ADULT IN YOUR HOUSEHOLD, as we can grant you access to view additional items available for these populations as well.
A: All of our clients are given far more points than they will need, which also reset each week. You never need to worry about running out of points.
The points balance is a necessary feature for the ordering system and our inventory systems to function.
A: If you are picking up a grocery order, tell our staff and/or volunteers when you arrive that you’d also like a community meal.
If you are placing an order for a delivery, leave a note for staff with the number of meals you need. The “Note to Staff” button is purple and located at the bottom left of our online ordering system.
A: Call us at 978-283-6776.