Upcoming Closures!
The Newton Food Pantry will be closed on Wednesday, April 29 and Thursday, April 30.
The Newton Community freedge is open all day, every day at 420 Watertown Street. This volunteer-led initiative, operated by the Newton Food Pantry, joins a growing network of free refrigerators in the Greater Boston area and throughout the country.
To serve roughly 15 freedge shoppers per hour, an uncountable number of volunteers from an array of community organizations pick up weekly donations from area business partners.
Need Food? It’s Free!
The freedge is located in the parking lot of Central Drapery and Dry Cleaning in Nonantum. The freedge is stocked multiple times a day, every day, with a variety of foods, including fresh fruit and fresh vegetables, breads, rice, pasta, beans, eggs, milk, peanut butter, prepared foods and much more! Please take ONLY what you need today and leave the rest for your neighbors. Learn more by viewing our multilingual freedge flyer.
How to Help
Donate Food
On average, 15 shoppers per hour visit the freedge for supplemental food assistance and personal care items. It takes a village to fulfill this community demand! Individuals, families and businesses are welcome to drop off unopened and unexpired foods, as well as personal-care supplies such as diapers and hygiene products, on their own. You can drop off your donations any time, day or night. Please review the freedge Donation Guidelines prior to donating.
Support the freedge Financially
The Newton Food Pantry spends a good deal of money to keep the freedge running and stocked. Your financial support helps us pay the freedge’s rent and to purchase certain staples for the refrigerator and pantry! To help keep the freedge going, donate here.
Start a Volunteer Team
Volunteer teams help keep the freedge clean and regularly restocked. An overview of team responsibilities can be found here. Contact the Newton Community freedge Volunteer Coordinator via our Contact page to learn more about how to get started.
Join a Community Partner Volunteer Team
Looking for a team to join? Be sure to check out our current list of community partners who are always looking for new members! Reach out to us via our Contact page to connect with any of the Community Partners below:
- Grace Church
- NewCity Church
- Newton Centre Minyan Association
- Newton Food Pantry
- Newton Neighbors Helping Neighbors
- Rotary Club of Newton
- Parish of the Good Shepherd, Waban
- Temple Emanuel
Become a Business Partner
The following partners regularly provide excellent food and personal care products to our neighbors in need. Contact us to find out how to join them in supporting the Newton Community freedge!
- Antoine’s Pastry
- Baramor
- Blacker’s Bakeshop
- Bluebird Bar
- Cabot’s
- da LaPosta
- Dignity Matters
- Dunn-Gaherins
- Farm Grill & Rotisserie
- Food Rescue US – Boston
- Great Harvest Bread Company
- Hope and Comfort
- Johnny’s Luncheonette
- Land’s Sake Farm
- Moldova
- New England Soup Factory
- Newton Community Farm
- Newton Food Pantry
- NY Bagel Factory
- Olivia’s Bistro
- Rosenfeld’s Bagels
- SALT Patisserie
- Sandwich Works
- Stone L’Oven
- Tatte Bakery & Cafe, Newton Centre
- Thistle and Leek
- Trader Joe’s, Needham
- Waban Market
- Wegmans
- Whole Foods Market, Four Corners
And be sure to join the freedge’s Facebook group to find out what’s happening with the freedge and see what’s inside!
Thank you to our host, Mark Levine of Central Drapery and Dry Cleaning, our business partners, community partners and supporters.
THANK YOU! To all the volunteers, donors—everyone— for having the freedge! You have helped my family immensely! I am so happy we have this in our community! I hope other communities follow your lead!