It has been a while since we updated you on NNHNN happenings. And well...so much has happened since that time, thanks to the commitment and generosity of you, our Newton neighbors. Members of this group continue to work with the Newton Housing Authority on home food pantry deliveries twice a week and have delivered over 100 bags of groceries over several weeks. NNHNN volunteers also collected groceries from the Newton Food pantry this week and delivered them to 12 families around Newton.
Whether you are helping neighbors in groups or as individuals (like the kind neighbor who delivered bags of groceries to a senior and then came back to clean her yard with her young son or the neighbor who coordinated the Shamrock Hunt for the littles in our neighborhood), we are floored by your generosity. Neighbor to neighbor, our Facebook page continues to be busy with exchanges of items such as milk, baby food, toilet paper, uber rides, t-passes and more! And finally, posts about the good work of our friends at Feed the Fight Boston, Johnny’s, Great Harvest Bread Company and Hipstitch (to name just a few) keep us invigorated and thankful for our broader community.
A few notes about new projects:
We have just rolled out a new and improved version of our Community Support and Resources Google form. You can find it here: https://forms.gle/4qMER3KjFPYb7mrc7 (English). This form is for people who can offer help and people who need help. We check the responses regularly and work hard to connect people to support one another. For those who want to volunteer or offer help, please fill it out even if you filled out the previous one!! We made many improvements to help us better organize the information and it will be a huge help if everyone fills out the new version. It should only take you about 2 minutes. For those seeking help, you can fill this out and you can also post individual requests in the Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/newtonneighborshelping
Neighbors have been working hard on launching a tutoring platform that can help neighbors seek out tutors for their kids. Over 30 tutors have signed up already. If you are interested in tutoring, sign up here: https://forms.gle/zRsZnY7kmLqR6rJg8
If you are looking for tutoring for your middle or high school student, sign up here: https://forms.gle/b157Ygh5KrZXwprG7. PM Bruce Wilson if you are interested in learning more.
A neighbor is working to convene a team of "navigators" who can help community members apply for unemployment, small business loans or complete applications for the Newton fund. PM Simona Gilman if you are interested in learning more.
As a reminder, if you have ongoing needs for food and other support, the best place to start is with the amazing existing institutions in our city and state. A frequently-updated list of resources is hosted by Welcoming Newton at https://www.welcomingnewton.org/covid-19-response - please check there and our community-built list of financial and other support here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-qhSbpDobaTyg8oRnlHmAky3IgXefqfCmJJf6xikNlM/edit?usp=sharing.
In closing, take a look at some of the good things that has happened through this group and our community (and turn up the volume!) https://drive.google.com/open?id=15FOFfzBysHg7duMwQ2F9FEU3misIEzXb
Best,
Martha Heinemann Bixby, Ranjani Paradise, Shalini Tendulkar, and Shrida Vyas
Newton Neighbors Helping Newton Neighbors Coordinators