Around Town

Chamber, Local Restaurants Team Up for Gift Card Give Back in Response to SNAP Uncertainty 

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The following announcement was provided by the Charles River Regional Chamber:

More than 20 local restaurants are teaming up this November to help combat food insecurity. Between now and Nov. 26, when you purchase a gift card from a participating restaurant up to 25 percent of the sales will be donated to Spoonfuls, Inc. — a Newton-based nonprofit food recovery organization that rescues fresh, healthy food and delivers it directly to local food pantries, shelters, and community programs statewide. The Gift Card Give Back program is organized by the Charles River Regional Chamber and its member restaurants in response to uncertainty about the suspension of the SNAP program and the overall growing food insecurity. “The quick response from our restaurant community has been inspiring, especially at a time when so many of these businesses are facing challenges of their own,” said Charles River Chamber President and CEO Greg Reibman.

Around Town

Watertown Porch Pick Up Collects 1500 Pounds of Food for Food Pantry

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Watertown Food Pantry Coordinator Kathy Cunningham looks as some of the food donations from the November Porch Pick Up. (Contributed Photo)

The Watertown community stepped up at a time when many in town face cuts in their SNAP benefits. The monthly Porch Pick Up program collected around 1,500 pounds of food for the Watertown Food Pantry. Kathy Cunningham, coordinator of the Watertown Food Pantry sent out a thank you on social media on Nov. 1.

Around Town

Community Food Drive Being Run by Human Services Department, Watertown Community Foundation

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The City of Watertown sent out the following announcement:

The City of Watertown’s Human Services Department, with support from the Watertown Community Foundation, is excited to announce the kick-off of a Community Food Drive, on November 4, and continuing through December 2025. The City is taking steps to ensure the impacts of food insecurity are mitigated amidst the federal changes to SNAP, in addition to the freeze on those benefits beginning November 1. The City is asking those who are able to donate nonperishable food items at one of the several food donation drop-off locations found around Watertown starting on November 4. All food donations will support the food pantries in Watertown and families who are in need.  Food donation drop-off locations include:

Watertown City Hall (149 Main Street)

Watertown Police Department (552 Main Street)

Watertown Free Public Library (123 Main Street)

Watertown Fire Station (564 Mt.

Around Town

Centre Street Food Pantry Expands Hours in Response to Pending SNAP Cuts

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The following announcement was provided by Centre Street Food Pantry:

Centre Street Food Pantry, a nonprofit regional food relief agency that serves residents of Brookline, Needham, Newton, Waltham, Watertown and Wellesley, has announced its response to the pending cuts to SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Access Program) and other hardships created due to the government shutdown. Centre Street will expand its hours, provide additional Thanksgiving items, and stock as much food as possible to provide fresh produce, dairy and meal-making groceries to those in need. Centre Street typically serves 1,100 households a month (each a unique visit) and is preparing to serve upwards of 1,500 households starting in November – an increase of 35%. To meet the anticipated increase in families seeking food in November, Centre Street will be: 

Extending its weekly Tuesday service days to include an additional half hour for those who cannot make an appointment. Extending its Saturday service day by one hour.

Around Town

Final Watertown Swap Shop of the Year This Saturday

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Residents can donate and pick up items at the Watertown Swap Shop. The program had to be cancelled multiple times during the Trash Strike, but the Solid Waste and Recycling Advisory Committee, and Watertown Faces Climate Change added one opportunity for residents to take part. See details below. The Watertown Swap Shop will be open on Saturday, November 1, 2025, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Watertown Recycle Center at 76 Stanley Ave. You must park on the street on Green River Way or Stanley Ave if you are shopping at the Swap Shop. 

If you have donations, you can pull your car into the Recycle Center up to the Swap Shop to unload.Learn more about the shopping and donation guidelines at the Swap Shop.

Around Town

Nearly 2,500 Watertown Residents Set to See Food Benefits Frozen, Local Assistance Efforts Underway

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With a freeze on SNAP benefits set to start Nov. 1, 2025, food drives for local food pantries are being planned. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

Starting Nov. 1, 2025, nearly 2,500 Watertown residents who receive federal food assistance funds will likely lose hundreds of dollars in SNAP benefits. Food pantries, non-profits and other groups in the City are gearing up to try to fill the gap.

Around Town

Watertown Community Gardens Gets Grant to Remove Invasive Plants from Watertown Greenway

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Watertown Community Gardens received a state grant to improve the path from Watertown to Cambridge. (Contributed Photo)

By Linda RelsonWatertown Community Gardens, Board Chair

Volunteers have been working on the Watertown-Cambridge Greenway all year, and their efforts got a boost earlier this month with the award of a MassTrails Grant. The Watertown-Cambridge Greenway is a treasured ribbon of green space that connects School Street in east Watertown to Fresh Pond Reservation in Cambridge. The path is a rail trail converted from the former B&M Railroad’s Watertown Branch, now owned by the State of Massachusetts’ Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR). It is frequented by commuters, dog walkers, and bicyclists every day of the week. Unfortunately, since the path’s construction, many of the shrubs, trees, and perennial flowers that were originally planted have been overcome by invasive plants.

Around Town

Director of Award-Winning Documentary Film on Armenian Women During Wartime to Appear at Upcoming Screening

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The following announcement was provided by West Newton Cinema:

The West Newton Cinema Foundation is presenting a special screening of the internationally acclaimed documentary There Was, The Was Not on Friday, Nov. 7, 2025, at 7 p.m. at the West Newton Cinema, 1296 Washington St., West Newton. Following the screening, the film’s writer and director Emily Mkrtichian will participate in the Director’s Spotlight, a program of the West Newton Cinema Foundation. The Q&A discussion will be moderated by Paul Boghosian, President of Harbor Side Films. The film company produces documentaries (PBS), public affairs programming as well as major television and cable and streaming projects for networks and private clients. Presently in development is Pulitzer-Prize-winning poet, Peter Balakian’s memoir, “Black Dog of Fate.”