WORCESTER, Mass. - The new 'Flourish at Thrive' food pantry in Worcester is now open after a ribbon cutting ceremony Monday morning.

It's run by Thrive Support and Advocacy, a local nonprofit empowering youth and adults with developmental disabilities, along with their families, to lead active and self-directed lives.

Thrive teamed up with students at Worcester Polytechnic Institute for the project. President and CEO Sean Rose said they're on a mission to feed the families of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

"We were trying to figure out a way to help support them as best we can, provide them with resources," Rose said. "It's hard enough caring for an individual with intellectual disabilities, mental disabilities, autism, and to have to worry about food insecurity as part of that was something that we wanted to help minimize as best we could.

"We're able to acquire the funding and put it all together. The vision of the WPI students, our vision, is to be able to support the families and caregivers that we serve."

The pantry is being supported in part by grants from the Point32Health Foundation, the Jack and Kathy Shields Family Foundation and the Health Foundation of Central Massachusetts.