Council Blog

Middlesex Savings Bank gave a $20,000 donation to the Council Food Pantry as part of a $1.4 Million gift to 84 non-profit organizations within its banking community.

Council Executive Director, Sandra Robinson and Food Pantry Coordinator, Sue Biasizzo accepted the gift from Bank President Mike McAuliffe.

About Middlesex Savings Bank
Middlesex Savings Bank, founded in 1835 and headquartered in Natick, Mass., is a mutual savings bank. As one of the largest independent banks in Massachusetts with assets exceeding $4.7 billion, the Bank has been committed to providing outstanding value in consumer banking and business banking products for more than 180 years. The FDIC and DIF insured bank has 30 branch offices located in 25 communities – including Needham.  

The Council Food Pantry is supported throughout the year by the many businesses in Needham, Schools, Houses of Worship, residents and others who are committed to end food insecurity in our town. The Council is a private 501 (C)3 non-profit and all programs are provided without fees.

ESL [English as a Second Language] TUTOR TRAINING

Tuesday, Feb. 26th – Tuesday, March 26th
5 consecutive Tuesday evenings, 6 pm – 9 pm
No experience necessary; No fee; Attendance at all 5 sessions is required.

Click here to submit a tutor application form. 

Do you know of any Needham resident or employee who might benefit from ESL tutoring and/or a conversation group? Please let them know we are now matching ESL students.

For more information: email esl@needhamcommunitycouncil.org

With the uncertainly that the federal government shutdown created for many in our community, the Needham Community Council would like to extend an invitation to any Needham resident who might benefit from our services…may it be for a single visit or longer.

The Council can help with a variety of transportation issues and our Food Pantry is available to help anyone in need of food items for their Needham household…no appointment or paperwork is required at your first visit. The Pantry is open on Saturday from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m., Monday from 10:30 a.m. – 4 p.m. and on Wednesdays from 10:30 a.m. – 4 p.m. and 5-7 p.m.  The Council will be closed Monday, February 18th for Presidents’ Day .

We were happy to hear that the shutdown/furlough of employees has ended, but we know the problems it caused aren’t over…please know that the Needham Community Council’s mission is to help our Needham neighbors throughout the year.

For more information, please visit the Council website at www.needhamcommunitycouncil.org or call us at 781-444-2415.

TO DONATE TO THE COUNCIL FOOD PANTRY: CLICK HERE FOR AN EMERGENCY WISHLIST

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!