In March 2020, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, four Newton residents – Martha Bixby, Ranjani Paradise, Shalini Tendulkar, and Shreeda Vyas – saw an opportunity to help locals in need. They started the Newton Neighbors Helping Neighbors mutual aid network, which, in 2021, became incorporated as the non-profit organization Newton Neighbors, Inc.
Today, the organization’s work reaches a greater population than ever before, with the group spearheading multiple projects every year in response to a variety of issues facing the Newton community.
Ranjani Paradise developed the organization’s food pantry delivery initiative in April 2020 and has been working on the program ever since, coordinating with local social workers and organizing team members to maximize its impact. She said she loves seeing community members engaging with the program and coming together to support their fellow residents.
“It fills a real tangible need in our community, and every food delivery makes a difference,” she said. “It gives me hope to see people give their time and energy week after week to help out neighbors who are having a tough time.”
Jennifer Pucci, the Board Chair of Newton Neighbors, has worked on many different initiatives, including a community pollinator garden project, Thanksgiving drive, and bike drive. She’s also worked on projects to combat food insecurity in Newton, helping with deliveries for the Newton Food Pantry and its Freedge – a free community refrigerator and pantry.
Pucci said that some of her favorite memories are made when she brings her 7, 10, and 12-year-old children along with her to help out.
“My kids have helped to deliver food from local food pantries to neighbors, planted and maintained the pollinator garden at the Newton Housing Authority, cleaned and helped restock the Freedge, and sorted out school supplies collected to support their NPS schoolmates through our annual school supply drive,” she said. “It is wonderful and empowering for them to work on projects where they as kids can engage with neighbors, gain perspective about need in our community, and do something concrete to help.”
Even as Newton Neighbors has grown, moments from its earliest days continue to stick with Bixby. She said that she still thinks back to a moment from Thanksgiving 2020 when the organization held a porch drive to support a local family that needed to leave their home due to an emergency.
“We posted that the family needed some sleeping bags, pillows, and clothes, and suddenly all of that and an entire Thanksgiving dinner was donated by our community,” she said. “It still makes me tear up to think about how generous people were then and continue to be now!”
The spirit of Thanksgiving remains central to the work of Newton Neighbors this fall, as the organization spearheads the fifth annual Bruce Hugh Wilson Giving Thanks Drive. The Drive, which distributes grocery gift cards to families in Newton and local communities, was named this year in honor of Mr. Wilson, one of its initial leaders, who passed away over the summer.
Suruchi Kaul, Board Member and co-lead for the Drive, said that Mr. Wilson was a core member of the Newton Neighbors team and contributed to the organization in countless ways. After speaking with his family, Newton Neighbors decided to dedicate the Drive to his memory.
“The Thanksgiving holiday was an important one for Bruce and his family as they often welcomed those who needed a local place to celebrate to their Thanksgiving table, bringing warmth and gratitude to the hearts of all gathered,” she said. “It was an honor to be able to recognize our friend and neighbor in this special way and support other families in his memory.”
Kaul said that she loves to see the community come together and support the Drive each fall.
“It’s very gratifying to see our community step up to support our neighbors every year. Every donation, big and small, adds up,” she said. “We hope to help even more families every year!”
Tax-deductible donations to the Bruce Hugh Wilson “Giving Thanks” Drive can be made through the Newton Neighbors website.
Theo Younkin is a Fig City News student reporter, a junior at Newton South High School, and Co-Managing Editor of the NSHS Lion’s Roar.
