When we think of Boston’s North End, we think of high-priced real estate and a hot restaurant scene. What many not realize is that many elderly who have lived and worked in the neighborhood their whole lives are now living in poverty and struggling to access essential medical and social services; many may not realize that at the North End’s Eliot School, there are 22 families experiencing homelessness and that 38% of students are food-insecure.

In the past 27 years, the North End has changed greatly but for families who struggle, higher prices for goods and real estate does not change the reality of their daily lives. Since 1993, the Taste of the North End has been held annually to raise much needed funds for local organizations that provide health care, food support and other social services to our friends and neighbors in need.

One of the primary organizations in which we fund is the North End Waterfront Health Center, which has served as the North End’s leading source of comprehensive medical care for 48 years, regardless of ability to pay. This event is the Health Center’s only opportunity to raise critically needed funds to cover non-reimbursable costs for programs that are vital to its holistic approach to care.