Charity

Watertown Scouts Collecting Food Donations from Doorsteps

By |

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

By |

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

Hundreds Donate to Food Pantry During Drive-Thru Food Drive

By |

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.

Around Town

Watertown Hosting a Drive-Thru Food Donation Event

By |

The Watertown Community Foundation will be switching gears for its food drive, and will have a drive-thru event. The drop off will take place on Saturday, Oct. 17 from 12-4 p.m. at St. John’s Church at 80 Mt. Auburn St. 

People can simply drive into their circular driveway and volunteers will remove the donations from the car. Donations will be split between the Watertown Food Pantry and the Catholic Collaborative Food Pantry.

Around Town

Watertown Scouts Collect $10K in Items for Food Pantry

By |

Den leader Stephen Lipscomb works with Bear Scouts from Pack 30 to purchase $200 in shampoo and soap for clients of the Watertown Food Pantry. The following piece was provided by Watertown Boy Scout Troop 30 and Cub Scout Pack 30:

In what may be the largest-ever one-day event to benefit the Watertown Food Pantry, scouts on Saturday collected $10,000 worth of food at the Watertown Street Stop & Shop. 

That’s twice what was collected last year in the annual event called Scouting for Food. “I’m overwhelmed by the effort of all the boys and girls in the scouts,” said Kathleen Cunningham, Watertown Food Pantry Coordinator. “It’s amazing that all those parents and leaders make this work possible.”

Pack 30, with scouts age 5-10, and Troop 30, with scouts age 10-17, come together every year to collect donations for the Watertown Food Pantry. Last year, 200 bags of groceries were collected from Stop & Shop customers at 171 Watertown Street. The this year, the response from Stop & Shop customers was so great, scouts needed to change how they collect goods.

Around Town

Watertown Food Drive Provided Food for Hundreds of Residents

By |

The Watertown Community Foundation’s food drive held in October brought in hundreds of bags of donation. Here are just some of them. A food drive organized by the Watertown Community Foundation this October, in conjunction with Watertown schools and businesses provided hundreds of bags of food for the two local food pantries. The directors of the food pantries thanked the organizers and people who donated to the drive. “Just want to say that we are so grateful for everyone’s help, we have very well stocked shelves which is wonderful with winter coming,” said Beverly Concannon, director of the St.

Around Town

Watertown Food Pantries Seek Donations, Drive Ends Soon

By |

The Watertown Community Foundation had joined with other organizations and businesses around town to collect food during a time of need for local food pantries. The WCF sent out the following announcement:

Watertown’s two food pantries are still in need. The town wide food drive continues through February 7th. There are special drop off locations all over town-including both pantries, schools, Watertown Police Department, Eastern Clothing, Library, Boston Floor Covering and more. Most needed items:

Watertown Food Pantry: Cans of Coffee, Smaller bottles of cooking oil

St. Patrick -St.Vincent de Paul’s at Sacred Heart Church: Coffee; Tea; Jelly and Jam; Pasta Sauce; Canned meats and fish — clams, sardines, anchovies, salmon, chicken; Cereal; Oatmeal; Salad Dressing; Shelf stable milk; Ramen

All donations with this designation received by February 7 will be divided equally between Watertown’s two food pantries.

Around Town

Watertown Schools, Businesses Collecting for Food Pantries as Need Rises with Government Shutdown

By |

The Watertown Public Schools PTOs, the Watertown Police and local businesses have teamed up to collect donations for food pantries in town after hearing about the need due to the Federal Government shutdown. Donations of non-perishable and non-expired food are being collected at several locations around town. The drive started after people in town heard about the recent increase in use of food pantries, said Lauren Coughlin Unsworth, one of the organizers. “The idea came up when we heard that the government shutdown was creating a larger demand our local pantries and that they had a great need for donations,”

Coughlin Unsworth is on the Lowell School PTO as well as the board of the Watertown Community Foundation and she teamed up with Watertown resident and owner of Get Lively, Jan Taylor. Taylor approached local businesses along with the Rotary Club of Watertown, and Coughlin Unsworth used her contacts in the schools.