A spicy food drive is underway in Boston. The Boston Public Library and the Greater Boston Food Bank have joined forces to launch the Collective of the spice bank.

They accept donations of unopened spices and dried herbs at over 20 BPL branches. Donations will then go to over 100 small pantries across town.

Stephanie Chase, Director of Nutritional Literacy at BPL, came up with the idea and said it has been running around in her head for years.

“A lot of times I would see the public appealing for donations to food banks and noticed that the spices were missing from the list,” she said. “I’ve always thought, my God, that would just be a great way for people to really cook the way they’re used to cooking, a way that they find culturally relevant.”

Adrienne Worthington, director of nutrition programs at the Greater Boston Food Bank, said pure spices and dried herbs are preferred for driving because spice blends sometimes contain sodium or sugar.

“As a dietitian, one of the things we recommend people do if they are trying to reduce their sodium or saturated fat intake is to increase the flavor of their food with spices, but spices can too. become quite expensive, depending on where you live, ”she said.

In addition to healthy and creative cuisine, BPL organizers hope the campaign can raise awareness of Massachusetts’ many cultural identities and help families carry on culinary traditions.

Chase said a pilot program was so successful that they extended the Spice Bank Collective until 2022. Unopened spices and dried herbs can be dropped off at the loan desks of participating branches of the Boston Public Library. . The full list is on the BPL website.

The Newsfeed Café at the Central Library in Copley Square will match all donations made to the café.