The Newton Rotary Club is giving $1,000 each to three local food pantries and asking neighbors to do the same.
The club announced the donations on Tuesday, Sept. 29, as part of a community-wide food drive running through February. The Newton Food Pantry, Centre Street Food Pantry and Arabic Baptist Church Food Pantry will each receive $1,000, according to the Newton Rotary Club. All donated food and household items will be split equally among the three pantries.
"This is a powerful moment for our community, but it must also be a sustained one," Newton Rotary President Gayemarie Brown said. She called on civic groups, faith communities, businesses and individuals to match the club's commitment, saying the drive reflects the spirit of service embodied by former Mayor Setti Warren and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Warren died Nov. 2, 2025, at age 55. He was the first Black person to serve as Newton's mayor, holding office from 2010 to 2018. A plaza in Newtonville was dedicated in his name on Sept. 20.
The City of Newton, the Harmony Foundation and Village Bank are collaborating on the effort. The Harmony Foundation organizes Newton's annual Martin Luther King Day Celebration alongside partners including the Rotary Club and Village Bank.
Need is rising. The Newton Food Pantry distributed more than 800,000 pounds of groceries and personal care items to more than 2,500 residents in fiscal year 2026, according to the pantry's website. More than 4,100 Newton residents live in poverty, per U.S. Census data cited by the pantry.
Newton Food Pantry Director Jeff Lemberg told the Newton Beacon in September that 600 Newton residents lost Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits over the past year, dropping the local SNAP count from 4,300 to 3,700. The decline stems from stricter eligibility rules and federal funding reductions, not improved finances, Lemberg said.
Thirty percent of the pantry's clients are older adults on fixed incomes, Lemberg told the Beacon, and rising costs leave them especially vulnerable.
Residents who want to help can drop off items at Village Bank, Newton Free Library and Newton City Hall. The pantries' greatest needs include canned proteins such as tuna, chicken and beans, nut butters, rice, pasta, cooking oils, baby supplies, and toiletries.
Upcoming
- Newton Rotary food drive: Drop off canned goods, baby supplies and household items at Village Bank, Newton Free Library or Newton City Hall through February.
