Partner Spotlight: Newton Neighbors

An indispensable partner of the Newton Food Pantry.  

That organization—Newton Neighbors—was launched during the early days of the COVID-19 crisis by a small group of women who were concerned that local school children would have difficulty accessing food during school closings.

“Neighbors were interested in helping other neighbors, and we created a platform to harness that energy, enabling us to launch many initiatives including a structured food pantry delivery program,” said Shalini Tendulkar, one of the Co-Founders and now President of the mutual aid network.

They’ve been very successful. She recalls those early days in March of 2020 with a bit of amazement. “We realized that the food pantries in town provided incredible resources, but if a family was experiencing barriers to accessing those resources, then it was difficult to really provide the support they needed.” A partnership was born.

“We couldn’t do what we do without their help,” said Regina Wu, President of the Newton Food Pantry. “They are amazing partners.”

Central to their mission is making food deliveries to local households, including over 40 Newton Food Pantry clients. And they have branched out recently, executing a number of proactive campaigns to serve those in need, Tendulkar said.

The most recent, Drive for Five, was a very successful effort that encouraged area residents to donate a number of specific items, including dried beans, rice, soap, toothpaste and snacks for the Newton Community freedge, organized and managed by the Newton Food Pantry.

Tendulkar, a longtime Newton resident and senior lecturer in the Department of Community Health at Tufts University, and her team of fellow core volunteers, whom she credits with the success of Newton Neighbors, learned from social workers that a major community need was baby diapers.

Newton Neighbors partnered with Newton’s Family ACCESS, a 115-year-old nonprofit that supports children and families, and American Legion Nonantum Post 440 and launched an annual diaper drive. “Mountains and mountains of diapers were donated and distributed to families,” she said.  

“The baby diaper project and many other initiatives are incredibly well-organized because we have a dedicated and professional all-volunteer team that puts their hearts into every project, and a community of exceptional, mission-driven partners who collaborate with us. They bring so many skill sets, strengths and backgrounds to their work,” Tendulkar said.

That’s a statement the volunteers and leadership of the Newton Food Pantry would clearly second.