The City of Boston has distributed 6.8 million meals to youth and older adults in need since the start of the pandemic one year ago, Mayor Walsh’s office announced Monday.

The Boston’s Public Health Commission declared a public health emergency on March 15, 2020, launching into an effort to help residents access essential services and supports. In the year since then, the city and partner organizations have distributed 25 million pounds of food to those in need, according to statistics Boston published Monday.

The city provided 5.6 million prepared meals across 91 meal sites and delivered another 1.2 million to residents’ homes, officials said, plus deliveries of 207,000 grocery bags and 123,000 produce and grocery staples boxes.

“Ensuring access to nutritious food is a critical piece to our response to the pandemic, and a key part of Boston’s equitable response to this pandemic,” Walsh said in a statement. “Since the beginning of the public health emergency, we knew that reaching all Bostonians in need was vital to ensure everyone’s well being, especially as we asked individuals to stay home and as more people faced financial challenges.”