Around Town

Watertown Food Pantry Receives More Than $202K in Contributions in December

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The following announcement was provided by the City of Watertown:

The Watertown Department of Senior Services is absolutely thrilled to announce the incredible contributions received in December 2023! We are overjoyed to have awarded a substantial $152,000 American Rescue Plan (ARPA) grant from the Watertown City Council, as well as an additional grant of $20,000 from the Friends of the Council on Aging, secured in partnership with the Director of the Senior Services after partnering for a grant application from the Cambridge Savings Bank. The excitement doesn’t stop there! We also want to extend our heartfelt thanks for the $30,000 in donations from local businesses, churches, and residents. These remarkable contributions have resulted in a staggering 52 percent increase to our operational budget’s bottom line – an enormous impact within just one month!

Around Town

Food Insecurity in Watertown: Hunger is a Multi-Faceted Problem — It Won’t Magically Go Away

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The Watertown Food Pantry set up outside the United Methodist Church while its facility was being repaired. (Photo by Kathy Cunningham)

For the last several weeks, Watertown News, in conjunction with Watertown Cable Access Television, published six stories in a series called “Watertown’s Hidden Problem: Food Insecurity Among Us.” (See part one here). In the course of reporting these stories on food and hunger in our community, one absolute fact has emerged: how indelibly intertwined the problem of food insecurity is with other challenges. Food is too expensive. If you can afford food, it might only be cheap, low-nutrient food.

Around Town

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.

Around Town

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 Man Pilots Special Flight to “North Pole” to Bring Joy to Some Special Children

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Delta Capt. Steve Teager and the Delta North Pole Staff. (Courtesy Photo)

Watertown resident and Delta Airlines Pilot Steve Teager made a special flight recently to spread some holiday joy. Teager, who is a longtime volunteer at the Watertown Food Pantry, flew to the “North Pole” in Detroit to “bring joy to some very special kids and let them ‘just be kids’ for an afternoon!” shared Watertown Food Pantry Coordinator Kathy Cunningham. He was selected to be the Captain by Silverliners International, a charitable organization founded by retired Eastern Airlines flight attendants.

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.

Around Town

Watertown Scouts Collecting Food for the Watertown Food Pantry

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Watertown Scouts will be collecting items for the Watertown Food Pantry. (Courtesy of Watertown Scouts)

The following announcement was provided by Watertown Scout Pack 30 and Troop 30:

Help Scouts feed Watertown

Pack 30 and Troop 30 scouts are flyering their neighbors this week, hoping to collect bags of groceries from doorsteps Nov. 18. It’s part of a drive we call Scouting for Food, and we’ll collect tons of food for the Watertown Food Pantry, the largest one-day drive serving our community. Didn’t get a flyer?