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Filling the Watertown’s Free Fridge is a Community Effort

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Volunteer Sue Twombly stocks the Watertown Community Fridge with items they picked up at the Cambridge Community Center. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

Each Friday, Will and Sue Twombly drive to Cambridge and fill up their car with vegetables, fruit, bread, and other items and bring them back to Watertown. The food is bound for one of the newest resources for people struggling to afford to eat: the Watertown Community Fridge. The Fridge is a free resource, located outside the United Methodist Church at 80 Mt. Auburn St., that is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

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Through Pandemics & Collapsed Ceilings, the Watertown Food Pantry Stays Open

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Food on the shelfs at the Watertown Food Pantry, which has seen an increase in the number of people using its services since the start of the Pandemic. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

With her pert Boston accent and indefatigable can-do attitude, Kathleen Cunningham welcomes visitors into the basement of the Belmont-Watertown United Methodist Church. It’s a big open space, with low ceilings, pink walls, some generous storage space and an older industrial kitchen. It’s also very obviously crumbling. Construction tape blocks off part of the kitchen.

Around Town

Hunger in Watertown: Task Force Tackles Social Needs, Tries to Fills Gaps Left by State, Local Programs

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Jan Singer, left, the former Executive Director of the Watertown Community Foundation, discussed how the Foundation responded to food insecurity during the Pandemic with journalists Maya Shwayder and Charlie Breitrose. (Photo by Dan Hogan / WCA-TV)

As the numbers of people facing a scarcity of food, worried about losing their home, or paying for utilities rose at the start of the Pandemic, a group of people in Watertown was gathered to bring together their knowledge of how to serve those in need. The task force continues to meet regularly, and tries to figure out ways to fill the gaps and patch the cracks in the local, state, and federal social services programs.

This story is the third in a series by Watertown News, in conjunction with Watertown Cable Access Television, called “Watertown’s Hidden Problem: Food Insecurity Among Us.” (See part one here). The Task Force

Jan Singer, who was executive director of the Watertown Community Foundation when COVID-19 hit, said the Community Resilience Task Force came about when the Foundation got a grant from the Massachusetts COVID-19 Relief Fund aimed at providing assistance in key areas such as housing, childcare, and food security. Singer and members of the Foundation board quickly realized that they needed to gather the experts to help them direct the funds where they were needed most.

Around Town

Watertown’s Hidden Problem: Food Insecurity Among Us (First Part of a Series)

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Food on the shelfs at the Watertown Food Pantry, which has seen an increase in the number of people using its services since the start of the Pandemic. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

For many, Watertown is a destination for food and eating, with dozens of restaurants, markets small and large, and a farmers market through the warmer months. However, a significant number of residents have trouble affording to feed themselves and their families. The hunger problem in Watertown is often not visible, but those who provide assistance and services to people in need have noticed a recent increase in the number of people in town facing food insecurity, spiking during the Pandemic. And, while the COVID cases have dropped, the numbers of people going to Watertown’s two food pantries, or needing help to put enough food on their table has remained at about the same level.

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Watertown Restaurants, Charles River Chamber Teamed to Provide More Than 700 Meals

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Watertown Community FridgeThe Watertown Community Fridge, located at 80 Mt. Auburn St., provides free food and meals to those in need. The Charles River Chamber’s Nourishing Watertown program has helped provide more than 700 meals to those in need through the Watertown Community Fridge. The Chamber funded this year’s program through Trip Advisor and some private donations, said Greg Reibman, president of the Charles River Chamber. The Chamber provided the following information:

Since May a total of 721 meals have been delivered to the Watertown Community Fridge, with participation from eight Watertown restaurants and three volunteers.

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Restaurants Team with Charles River Chamber to Provide Meals for Those in Need

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Charles River Chamber of CommerceMeals prepared by a local restaurant for Nourish Watertown, a program done in coordination with the Charles River Chamber of Commerce. The following announcement was provided by the Charles River Chamber of Commerce:

Every Monday and Friday, the chamber has been partnering with local restaurants and volunteers to deliver meals to the Watertown Community Fridge for those facing food insecurity. It’s all part of our Nourishing Watertown program, funded by a significant contribution by TripAdvisor and many private donations. It’s all part of an ongoing chamber program designed to support both our local restaurant community and those in need. We’ve run similar initiatives in Newton, Wellesley and Needham over the past two years.

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Watertown Community Fridge Looking for New Home

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Watertown Community FridgeThe Watertown Community Fridge, located outside Francis Market. The following announcement was provided by Watertown Community Fridge:

The Watertown Community Fridge is looking for a new home! Do you know a local business that is interested in hosting the Fridge and supporting food security in Watertown? The Watertown Community Fridge team is grateful to our hosts at Francis Market, but we need a new space so we can keep serving our community. We need to leave our current space by April 20th, so we’re hoping to find a new host ASAP and we want to make sure it’s the perfect partnership for everyone!

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Public Can Learn More About Watertown Community Fridge at Virtual Meeting

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Watertown Community FridgeThe Watertown Community Fridge, located outside Francis Market. The following information was provided by the Watertown Community Fridge:

The Watertown Community Fridge coordinating team will be holding a virtual meeting on Monday, January 31st from 7-8pm on Zoom. This is an opportunity for community members to learn more about the Fridge and to get involved. Please see attached the slides that we will go over in the meeting. For information about how to get on the 1/31 Zoom email Watertowncommunityfridge

Watertown Community Fridge Now Open, Give or Take Food for Free 24/7