Where do donated clothing items end up? Clothing donated to the Council is sorted and sold in our thrift shop as a fundraiser to support the no-fee programs of the Council. Approximately 1/3 of our annual budget is raised by the thrift shop and special sales. 

Items that are not “salable” are then re-donated to other thrift shop organizations, and many of these re-donated items may end up overseas in other countries. Olin students learned about the problems this clothing may cause this semester in a class called Dirt to Shirt, an intensive study of the the global supply chain for clothing taught by Needham resident, and Olin College Professor of Anthropology, Caitrin Lynch.

Students visited the Council thrift shop and selected t-shirts to cut up and transform into re-usable yarn…they designed a specialized “machine” to help speed up the cutting process and then created new items with the yarn. They displayed their invention at the town-wide Needham Art Fair on Saturday, December 8th where they sold the newly created items and yarn and donated their proceeds back to The Council.

Click here for an in depth article about the course.

Click here for an online video created by the students.

NEW! The can & bottle redemption shack at the RTS is BACK! 

Needham resident, Jeff Dinneen has been collecting and recycling around town…Now his project will be at the Needham RTS and easily available to all who want to donate their can & bottle deposits. Jeff recycles the donated cans & bottles and then uses the funds collected to purchase milk for the Council Food Pantry.  We, in turn, distribute the milk to income-eligible Needham residents….a WIN/WIN!

Thank you to Jeff and to the Town of Needham for supporting this very worthy project!

We did it! Thank you to ThreeSquaresNE for sponsoring this great fundraising event.

17 riders came together to form Team Community Council on Sunday, September 23rd at Nobles School and raised over $22,000; Team Direct Federal (14 riders) and Team Congregational Church of Needham (5 riders) each dedicated their fundraising to the Council and together raised another $22,000. Thank you to all the riders, volunteers and donors.

This event continues to be the single largest fundraiser of the year for the Council Food Pantry!

Annual Holiday Boutique
Great items, great bargains, huge selection!
Including collectible items: clothing, china, 
fine jewelry, antiques, etc.

Thurs., Nov. 29th, 4-7 p.m.
Fri.,  Nov. 30th, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Sat., Dec. 1st, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.

First Come, First Served; All sales final
Cash & Check only; no credit cards

Thanks to the generous support from the Foundation for MetroWest the Council Food Pantry will be joining the Needham Community Farm with a mobile market at each of the three Needham Housing Authority locations on Tuesday evenings. Non-perishable items will be available along with the Needham Community Farm’s fresh produce to help families with food insecurity throughout the summer and into the fall. 

About the Foundation for MetroWest: Established in 1995, they are the only community foundation serving the 33 cities and town in the region. They promote philanthopy in the region, help donors maximize the impact of their local giving, serve as a resource for local nonprofits and enhance the quality of life for all residents. Since inception, the Foundation has granted $15 million to charitable organizations and currently stewards more than $22 million in charitable assets for current needs and future impact. To learn more, visit www.foundationformetrowest.org or call 508-647-2260.