Around Town

Watertown Scouts Collect Tons of Donations for Food Pantry

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Some of the donations collected by Watertown Troop 30 and Pack 30 for the Watertown Food Pantry. The following announcement was provided by Watertown Scout Troop 30:

Scouts from Troop 30 and Pack 30 combined forces Saturday to collect two-and-half tons of food for the Watertown Food Pantry. In normal times, the Troop (BSA scouts age 10-17) and the Pack (Cub Scouts age 5-10) would solicit donations from customers at Stop & Shop as part of an initiative called Scouting for Food. This year, to keep contact at a minimum and taking Coronavirus precautions, Cub Scouts held a contest to see who could collect the greatest number of donations from neighbors. Cubs flyered their neighborhoods asking for help, and Watertown responded: Cubs collected carloads of groceries totaling 4,941 pounds.

Charity

Minuteman Students Cook Meals for 200 in Need for Thanksgiving

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The following announcement was provided by Food Link:

This Thanksgiving, 200 food insecure residents of eastern Massachusetts will receive a traditional Thanksgiving meal with ingredients rescued by Food Link, cooked by students from Minuteman High School, and delivered by Food Link volunteers. Food Link, a food rescue organization serving eastern Massachusetts, has partnered for the 2020-21 school year with Minuteman High School, a regional career technical education high school in Lexington, to create nutritious meals for neighboring communities that are grappling with food insecurity. Through this collaboration, Food Link is rescuing food from grocery stores, produce markets, farms, and distributors and delivering it to Minuteman High School where culinary arts students create meals based on the ingredients they receive. These meals will then be shared with organizations feeding those in need. 

“Food Link has rescued 820,000 pounds of food since the pandemic began to address the growing need in our communities,” said DeAnne Dupont, Executive Director of Food Link. “This partnership allows us to take fresh, nutritious food and create meals to share with organizations such as after, low-income housing facilities and food pantries.”

Minuteman’s culinary arts students operate a restaurant at the school, which is typically open to the public but is only open to staff temporarily due to COVID-19 protocols. The partnership with Food Link provides culinary arts students a different population base for which to cook and bake meals.

Charity

Watertown Scouts Collecting Food Donations from Doorsteps

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Deion Howe and David Kinnear of Watertown Pack 30 and Troop 30 lift bins of sorted canned goods destined for the Watertown Food Pantry. This year they will pick up donations from people’s doorsteps. Pack 30 and Troop 30 are supporting the Watertown Food Pantry again this year, but as with everything in 2020, Scouting for Food will be different

Scouting for Food is a nationwide service challenge taken on by Boy Scouts of America, targeting food insecurity. In Watertown, the two BSA organizations have come together every November to get grocery lists in the hands of shoppers so they can help fill the shelves of the town-run food pantry. This year, with COVID-19 precautions in place, Scouting for Food will look a little different.

Around Town

Thanksgiving Food Drive Donations Being Accepted Items at Watertown Mall

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The following information was provided by the Watertown Mall:

The Watertown Mall will be hosting a Food Drive every Friday in November before Thanksgiving. On Fridays, between the hours of 10 AM – 11 AM and 3 PM – 4 PM the collection table will be set up inside the mall’s back hallway across from Carter’s and Target. The collected food will be donated to the Watertown Food Pantry. Items needed include, but are not limited to: canned goods, pasta/rice, coffee/tea, cooking oil, cold cereal/old fashioned oatmeal, non-perishable snacks for kids, etc. If you’d like to see a full list of the items needed please visit www.watertown-ma.gov/Watertown-Food-Pantry or also visit one of our mall informational pushcarts.

Around Town

Watertown Residents Can Help Neighbors Celebrate Thanksgiving in 2020

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Mutual Aid, which is sponsored by the Watertown Community Foundation and Wayside Youth and Family Support Network, sent out details about how to provide or request support:

As the Winter Holiday season begins, we want everyone to be able to celebrate with good food on the table. Fill out this form https://forms.gle/373WyM4aoCxDH8tL6 to support a family or request support in celebrating Thanksgiving, Thursday November 26th. Support can include a gift card to a grocery store or restaurant, a home-cooked meal, or grocery delivery. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Sophia, the Community Coordinator at watertownmutualaid@waysideyouth.org or 617-744-9585. If you need other resources, contact the Watertown Social Services Resource Specialist (SSRS) Program at 617-744-9585.

Around Town

Hundreds Donate to Food Pantry During Drive-Thru Food Drive

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The drive-thru food drive, organized by the Watertown Community Foundation, drew good traffic during the event on Oct. 17 at the food pantry. Watertown residents showed up in the hundreds to donate to the Watertown Food Pantry. The event was held on the afternoon of Oct. 17, and Watertown Food Pantry Coordinator Kathy Cunningham said the event got a good response.