Upcoming Closures!
The Newton Food Pantry will be closed on Wednesday, April 29 and Thursday, April 30.
A carpenter by trade, Derrick had trouble finding work during the pandemic. “My husband might have 3 or 4 months of work, and then he has to go find other work at another company,” Rebecca says. “When he’s working, he makes too much to qualify for childcare assistance. But we need him to work. Our benefits come from his job.”
When Derrick lost his job, Rebecca did some research into their options. She got in contact with Newton City Hall, which connected her with the Newton Food Pantry. “We never thought we would need a food pantry,” she recalls. “But we exhausted all of our resources to pay our bills.”
“At the pantry, everyone is super friendly,” Rebecca says. “They love DJ.” Rebecca’s family is vegan, which she assumed would present a challenge, but it’s been easier than she expected to find food the whole family likes. “They are always super accommodating. They go out of their way to find us whatever they can,” she says. “Sometimes they have impossible meat or beyond meat burgers. We do beans, leafy green vegetables, almond or coconut-based yogurts, lentils. We don’t eat soy, so these items have been incredibly helpful.”
Rebecca’s next order of business is getting back to work. “I went and got my real estate license, and I’m working as close to full-time as I can,” she says. The next challenge will be finding daycare for DJ. Rebecca worries about this. “It’s not financially attainable for us at the moment. Once I start making more money, we can afford it. It’s a very large expense for us.”
One thing Rebecca has learned is that she’s not alone. “People would be surprised how many people use the pantry,” she says. “They shouldn’t be ashamed to get help. I see so many people from different walks of life. No one should be ashamed to use resources that are available for all of us.”
DJ is 14 months old now. He’s a happy, healthy, friendly baby with smiles for everyone. He loves Daniel Tiger and trucks and learning about the world. “Watching him grow has been amazing. He says ‘dada’, and occasionally ‘mama’, but if I try to get him to say ‘mama’ he says ‘dada’ even louder,” Rebecca says with a laugh. “I stayed home with him for 10 months, the least he could do is say ‘mama’!”