Nourishing Newton -- The Third Year
For the past two years, The Charles River Regional Chamber has received funds and distributed state funds to pay for meals made by local restaurants and coordinated for delivery to local food pantries by the Rotary Club of Newton. Alie Mahar, Director of Community Development, Scandinavian Living Center and Keilly Cutler, Financial Advisor, Morgan Stanley, both members of the Newton Rotary Club, have spearheaded this initiative with the Chamber and the local restaurants.
For the past two years, The Charles River Regional Chamber has received funds and distributed state funds to pay for meals made by local restaurants and coordinated for delivery to local food pantries by the Rotary Club of Newton. Alie Mahar, Director of Community Development, Scandinavian Living Center and Keilly Cutler, Financial Advisor, Morgan Stanley, both members of the Newton Rotary Club, have spearheaded this initiative with the Chamber and the local restaurants.
Thanks to Senator Cynthia Creem, the program has been funded for a third year in the amount of $90,000 grant for Nourishing Newton and Wellesley. As a result, more help is on the way for both struggling local independent restaurants and for people suffering food insecurity and hunger.Food is delivered from participating restaurants in Newton by the Newton Rotary Club volunteers to the Newton Food Pantry, the Centre Street Food Pantry, the Arabic Baptist Food Pantry, and other places that serve people who are food insecure.
Andrew Willinger, president Newton Rotary, remarked on the impact of the program: “Nourishing Newton is such a great example of government responding to a humanitarian and business need with a win-win solution. The timing of it provided the needed funds just as the charitable donations had petered out, and Newton Rotary was so happy to be in a position to help. That we continue the mission with our partners- the Chamber, the restaurants, and the food pantry – 2023 is amazing, because it works so well.”
Over the three years of its operations, Nourishing Newton and Wellesley have delivered over 12,000 meals from more than 50 restaurants. The Nourishing Newton program was so important to the restaurants and the food insecure that the Rotary Club of Newton decided earlier this year to award Greg Reibman, Executive Director of the Charles River Regional Chamber, the Paul Harris award, its highest award given for outstanding contributions to the community. Reibman was honored for, among other achievements, helping to conceive the Nourishing Newton program. The award is given in recognition and “in appreciation of tangible and significant assistance given for the furtherance of better understanding and friendly relations among people of the world.”