The City of Newton organized a citywide food drive earlier this month in response to a growing number of residents facing a shortage of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits.
“Even in a city like ours, that is comfortable for so many people, there are thousands upon thousands of residents who are struggling to get by and do not have a whole lot of safety nets to help them when times get tough,” said Jeff Lemberg, executive director of the Newton Food Pantry.
Although SNAP benefits returned to normal on Nov. 14, Newton Food Pantry and Centre Street Pantry expect to see continued demand for food.
“We welcome the fact that SNAP benefits will return to previous levels, but the cuts caused disruption that will continue to be felt for a while,” said Rosie Saia, executive director of Centre Street Food Pantry. “We were already expecting increased demand due to the high cost of food, employment uncertainty, and the pending increases in health care premiums.”
Mayor Ruthanne Fuller spearheaded the initiative, collaborating with the Centre Street Food Pantry, Newton Food Pantry, and the Arabic Baptist Church pantry to ensure that the 4,000 Newton residents registered with SNAP could still receive adequate assistance.
“Centre Street typically serves 1,100 households a month, each a unique visit, and our adjustments will enable us to serve upwards of 1,500 households, including nearly 6,000 people, in November,” said Saia.
Even in a city where the median household income is $179,843, more than double the national household median income, food insecurity is rampant, according to Lemberg.
“The silver lining of this crisis is that it really shines a light on how profound food insecurity is,” he said.
Lemberg said the residents of Newton quickly provided support to community members during a difficult time.
“People have been generous, and it has been incredibly helpful for us moving forward,” said Lemberg.
Both Newton Food Pantry and Centre Street Food Pantry reported similar donations in nonperishable items, including pasta, canned goods, cereal, and dry beans.
“We are grateful for the response by the City of Newton and its residents,” said Saia. “We have already received 1,071 pounds of food.”
In light of Thanksgiving approaching, Centre Street Food Pantry has many holiday dishes and sides available to citizens in need.
“We purchased whole turkeys, pies, and roaster chickens for family Thanksgiving meals,” said Saia. “We also purchased sides like stuffing and cranberry sauce, and solicited donations of those plus brown sugar as part of our grocery distribution in November.”
Additionally, Centre Street Food Pantry serves Boston College students whether they reside on or off campus.
“Any student affiliated with BC is eligible to get groceries from Centre Street, even if they live outside of a community that we serve,” said Saia.
Upon arrival, students just need to show their BC ID to verify enrollment and receive support. For information on what days and hours they are open, see Centre Street Food Pantry’s website. No appointment is needed.
And even though SNAP benefits have been reinstated, Lemberg thinks the effects of their suspension will reverberate in the community into the future.
“I think when people have experienced the kind of trauma that they have been put through because the government shut down and because of what happened with the SNAP crisis, they tend to lean into getting more support when it is available to them,” said Lemberg.
