The new Newton Food Pantry is open for client services, and we are so proud of what we’ve built to better support community members in need. Located at 131 Rumford Avenue in Newton, between Extra Space Storage and the city’s Resource Recovery Center, our new pantry is a testament to what is possible when compassion meets commitment.
From an unsolicited donation of undeveloped land to the hundreds of hands that brought our vision to life, this building gives us the tools, the capacity, and the flexibility to alleviate hunger throughout our city both today and for years to come. At our recent ribbon-cutting, we were honored to be joined by Newton Food Pantry founder Jackie Colby, now 102 years old, who created the pantry in 1983. Her vision and kindness laid the foundation for everything we do today!
Our client services hours on Wednesdays remain the same, with appointment hours from 12 pm-3 pm, and walk-in hours from 3 pm-7 pm. However, we have extended our service hours on Thursdays. Appointment hours remain from 10 am-1 pm, but we have added NEW WALK-IN HOURS from 1-3 pm on Thursdays. With the move, we are no longer operating out of the basement of Newton City Hall.
The Newton Food Pantry’s new home features 25 on-site parking spaces for clients as well as a large and comfortable waiting area. Staff and volunteers park across the street, at the Packard Cove Office Park. Four MBTA bus lines — #505, #553, #554 and #558 — pick up and drop off on Lexington Street, a few minute’s walk from the pantry.
Our new building reflects a simple but powerful idea: Accessing healthy food should be easy, welcoming and reliable. Our pantry was designed to be a bright and inviting space, similar to a new neighborhood grocery store! To that end, we still operate as a “choice pantry” whereby clients can select for themselves — free of charge — the fresh and nutritious foods they need and want. There is dignity in choice and satisfaction in selection.
The Newton Food Pantry’s new building also reflects our commitment to long-term sustainability and financial stewardship. Thanks to a recent grant from the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources, we will be installing rooftop solar panels and a battery energy storage system to help us minimize and manage electricity costs. The savings generated by this renewable system will be reinvested directly into our work — allowing us to expand client services and to support more Newton residents struggling with food insecurity.
The Newton Food Pantry is the largest nonprofit hunger-relief organization dedicated to Newton residents in need. But we know there is more to be done to help ensure that everyone in our city can reliably access the fresh, nutritious and culturally relevant foods necessary to live the healthy lives we all deserve.
Thank you to everyone who helped make this milestone possible. The work continues — and we’re just getting started!
