Helping, welcoming, connecting neighbors
In January of 2021, Newton Neighbors Helping Neighbors and Welcoming Newton incorporated together as Newton Neighbors, an all-volunteer, community-based, mutual-aid style organization. Our mission is to facilitate community connection, mutual aid, and access to resources and supports for all people who live, work, pray, play and/or learn in Newton, MA and other local communities.
Today, we are excited to launch our new website: NewtonNeighbors.org! Today is also the start of our new newsletter plan. At the start of each month we will send our “Welcoming and Connecting Neighbors” newsletter, which focuses on community building and information about Newton (including how to support and help neighbors!). Halfway through each month, we will send our “Helping Neighbors” newsletter which focuses on donation and volunteer opportunities. We hope you will find each newsletter useful and interesting. We welcome your feedback - email us any time at newtonneighborshelping@gmail.com.
And here is this month’s Welcoming & Connecting Neighbors newsletter!
September’s Village Guide: Newtonville
Each month, Welcoming Newton sent a “Village Guide” to share information about one of Newton’s 13 villages. We will continue this tradition. Our goal with the Village Guides is to help every Newton resident feel welcome in every village. Past village guides are available here.
This month, we are featuring the village of Newtonville! At the end of August, Newton Neighbors worked with the Newton Housing Authority Resident Services staff to organize two tours of Newton villages (Newtonville and Newton Centre) as a fun activity for residents and a way for residents to participate in the Village Visioning Process organized by the City’s Zoning and Planning Department. On the tours, we stopped at community spaces and local businesses and learned more about Newtonville! We began the tour in the new Austin Street plaza, enjoying drinks from Caffe Nero and learning about the mural by artist Destiny Palmer and the temporary art exhibit Newton Outdoors.
We then visited local businesses including Great Harvest Bread Company, where we heard from the family that owns it - dad bakes the bread, mom and son and daughter were all staffing the shop! We proceeded to Rancantore's Ice Cream where owner Joe Rancantore met us and talked about how he selects flavors and makes the ice cream, and Brewer's Coalition where we enjoyed yummy food and lovely outdoor seating. We also visited the Newton Senior Center where we learned about all of their extensive programming inside and outside the Center (including social, health-focused, and educational programming), as well as the NewMo transportation program. NewMo is available for Newton residents ages 60+ and NewMo 2.0 is open to commuters of any age going to and from certain destinations. Read below for more information on Newtonville Village Day - a great opportunity to learn more about Newtonville!
City Info
Primary Election Day, Tuesday, September 14, 2021
Preliminary Election For Mayoral Race, Polls open 7:00 AM - 8:00 PM
EARLY VOTING IN-PERSON DATES: 9/7, 2021 - 9/10, 2021 at Newton City Hall, 1000 Commonwealth Avenue 1st floor. 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM
More info, including polling locations, is available on the City’s Elections Department Website. City Indoor Mask Mandate Resumes Masks will be required in all indoor public spaces in Newton starting on Thursday, Sept. 2. More in the Boston Globe.
Kindergarten Soccer & Garden City Kindergarten Soccer registrations still open
Both programs are still open for registrations through 9/3. This is a great way to meet new classmates and their families!
Kindergarten Soccer: https://kindergartensoccer.org
Meets at Oak Hill Middle School
Tends to be for children attending school on the southern side of Newton
Registration extended through 9/3
Garden City Kindergarten Soccer: https://sites.google.com/view/gcks/registration
Meets at the Burr School
Tends to be for children attending school on the northern side of Newton
This is the last week to register!
Time for Partners
Time for Partners is an art & music program for children 18 months to 4 years (with an adult). Children make a new art project weekly, have play time, snack and music & movement. Tuesday and Wednesday classes are held at the War Memorial/Cultural Center Auditorium at City Hall from 9:30 -11:15am.
An abbreviated class will be held on Mondays and Thursdays outdoors at The Cove (picnic area near the hut) in Auburndale from 9:30 – 10:30am. More details here.
September Events
A few of the many events in Newton this September:
September 10th: Rock and Roll Soul Revue
The Hyde Community Center, 6:00 PM 7:55 PM
This is the last concert of the season for the Hyde Community Center's summer concert series. Grab a picnic and join neighbors for music and fun!
September 11: 9/11 Memorial 6pm on Saturday, September 11 for Newton’s annual remembrance of those killed on September 11, 2001. On the Newton Fire Department Headquarters Front Lawn More information: https://newton9-11.org/
September 26: Newtonville Day Come to the Village Party of the year! The Newtonville Area Council (NAC) is proud to present Newtonville Village Day - a day full of family, fun, music, art, and entertainment featuring our local talent and businesses!
We will have a variety of entertainers, artists, musicians, and vendor booths featuring products and crafts from local businesses. The Mayor will be present to cut the ceremonial cake (from Icing on the Cake). Games, crafts, and train rides will be available for children. Local musicians and student performers will entertain us on two stages! More details: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/newtonville-village-day-2021free-tickets-159067843201
Starting in September: Fall ASL Classes with EveryBody Signs
Email Amanda and Rebecca at everybodysigns@gmail.com for more information
Helping neighbors
VOLUNTEER DRIVERS NEEDED
We are currently recruiting for volunteer drivers to deliver food from local pantries to neighbors in September and October and we have many open slots. The fall schedule is:
Every Wednesday afternoon from Newton Food Pantry. Drivers will pick up at an assigned time between 12:15-2:45pm and will go inside the pantry (basement of City Hall) to get their groceries. A volunteer will help you to your car with the groceries for your families.
The 3rd Friday of the month from the American Legion Nonantum Post 440 Mobile Food Bank, pick up food 9-9:15am
The 3rd Saturday of the month from Centre Street Food Pantry, pick up food 12-1:35pm (with assigned timeslots)
Sign up for September deliveries here: https://volunteersignup.org/4CBKQ
Sign up for October deliveries here: https://volunteersignup.org/L73TL
FREEDGE VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!
September & October Freedge slots are available. Thank you to our enthusiastic team of NNHN volunteers who help keep the Freedge stocked and clean every other Thursday. We have shifts available from early morning through the evening. Come join us!
Help especially needed for next Thursday, September 2.
The volunteer shifts include:
Newton Food Pantry Pod pickup- volunteer picks up items from pod at City Hall at 8am and delivers them to the Freedge
Wegmans shopper- donated by Wegmans, this volunteer should ensure that the Freedge is stocked with 8 half gallons of assorted milk and 8 dozen eggs
Business partner pickups at Rosenfelds (breakfast), Sandwich Works & O’Hara’s (lunch), Sweet Tomatoes & Manow Thai (dinner)
Freedge Monitors (morning, afternoon, & evening)- volunteer sanitizes handles, cleans up spills or debris outside the shed and inside the refrigerator and pantry. Separate fruits and vegetables, check food for expiration dates and adherence to donation guidelines, and organize as needed.
Evening re-stock- purchase (you will be reimbursed) 6 dozen eggs, 6 half gallons of milk, 6 single serve yogurt and deliver to Freedge around 9pm.
Backups- fill in if we have a cancellation or an additional pickup.
Sign up here: https://volunteersignup.org/JDT7B
Find local events & learn more about what’s happening in town:
There are lots of great resources to find out what's happening in Newton - check out some that might interest you below!
We’ve created a landing page for those new to town, featuring important apps to download and helpful email lists to sign up for. Check it out here: www.newtonneighbors.org/welcoming-neighbors
In addition, visit the following web pages and subscribe to these newsletters to find out more info about what’s happening in town - events, important city discussion and decisions, and more.
Newton Neighbors Helping Neighbors is Welcoming Newton’s partner project focused on community support. Join the Facebook group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/newtonneighborshelping/
Local media: New TV is Newton’s local cable access TV station: https://newtv.org/, the Newton TAB is our weekly newspaper, the Newton Patch is online, and the Boston Globe has a “Newton Report”.
Mayor Fuller’s newsletter: https://www.newtonma.gov/government/mayor-fuller/updates
Village 14: https://village14.com/ They aim to be “the “go to” place for discussion of any issue in Newton, but there’s also plenty of room for humor and a bit of fun too. We welcome you all to join the conversation – the more voices, the better the conversation.”
Arts & Culture & Community: Newton Community Pride: https://newtoncommunitypride.org/, Newton Arts Calendar: http://newtonartscalendar.org/; Newton Cultural Alliance’s weekly newsletters: https://newtonculture.org/ Newton’s City Calendars: https://www.newtonma.gov/government/public-buildings/calendar Newton Free Library’s Calendar of events: https://newtonfreelibrary.libcal.com/calendar
The Charles River Chamber of Commerce has a regular "Need to Know" newsletter covering local business issues and other topics of local interest https://www.nnchamber.com/
Amy Sangiolo’s Community Newsletter covers local government: https://amysangiolo.com/
OurNewton.org has local events and information https://www.ournewton.org/
All Over Newton has local shopping and restaurant information and guides: https://www.allovernewton.com/
The Newton Senior Center's "Coming of Age" newsletter has info of interest to local seniors. Subscribe here.
Love a local newsletter, website, or other news source you don’t see here? Email us at newtonneighborshelping@gmail.com to suggest it!
Need support?
Food assistance: information on the three food pantries, grab and go, and more available on the city's website here. Info on the Newton Community Freedge (free fridge), a 24/7 free community food resource, is available here.
The Horace Cousens Industrial Fund is a charitable trust, established in 1930, which gives financial help to Newton residents who are faced with a temporary but severe financial problem. Grants are for one-time specific needs. https://www.newtonma.gov/home/showpublisheddocument?id=41413
Welcome Home, Inc. is a home goods pantry based at Trinity Church in Newton. Want to shop? Email welcomehomemass@gmail.com to schedule an appointment. www.welcomehomemass.org
Newton Neighbors has a Facebook group - Newton Neighbors Helping Neighbors to connect community members to support one another and share resources for people who live, work, pray, play and/or learn in Newton. Join here.
Support the work of Newton Neighbors
You can now make tax-deductible contributions to us! Thank you to Newton Community Pride, our fiscal sponsor. If you would like to make a donation, please do so here.
Or mail a check to: 1294 Centre Street, Newton 02459
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