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Wicked Local
In the span of a year, a local group concerned about the welfare of their neighbors during the COVID pandemic expanded from 49 to thousands of people wanting to help.
Newton Neighbors Helping Neighbors (NNHN) was created in March 2020 after resident Shalini A. Tendulkar asked a question on a Newton parents’ Facebook page right after the start of the pandemic: “Do we know what would happen to families whose kids get free or reduced-cost lunches at school if the schools shut down?”
After almost 50 people responded, sharing the concern, Tendulkar created a separate Facebook group to address the issue and “find other ways to support our community,” she said previously.
Newton Neighbors help feed families in need
Community Content
Newton Neighbors Helping Neighbors teamed up with the Rotary Club of Newton and the John M. Barry Boys and Girls Club to support local restaurants and provide meals to families in need during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Volunteers from Newton Neighbors solicited donations and purchased 25 $50 restaurant gift cards from Newton establishments including Cabot’s, Knotty Pine, Tango Mango, Four Spoons, Farm Grill and more. The campaign, Project Takeout, is ongoing and more gift cards are expected to be delivered to more families in the coming days.
The Boys and Girls Club of Newton has operated throughout the pandemic serving children and families from all income levels with both remote school and enriching afterschool programming. In the course of this work, 25 Newton families were identified based on family size and income level to receive this much needed boost.