More than 20 Charles River Regional Chamber member restaurants are teaming up to fight food insecurity ahead of Saturday’s anticipated shutdown of the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

This November, when you purchase a gift card from a participating restaurant by Nov. 26, a portion of sales will be donated to Spoonfuls, Inc. — a Newton-based nonprofit food recovery organization that rescues fresh, healthy food and delivers it directly to local food pantries, shelters, and community programs serving Newton, Needham, Watertown, Wellesley and other Greater Boston and MetroWest communities.

Spoonfuls recovers food from grocery stores, wholesalers, and farms that have excess or unsold produce and distributes it (same day) to community organizations across Massachusetts that serve neighbors facing food insecurity. 

Why Spoonfuls?

Donating proceeds directly to Spoonfuls is an efficient way to support multiple organizations simultaneously, as they collaborate with community partners across the region and within our footprint.

Within the chamber communities of Newton, Needham, Wellesley, and Watertown, Spoonfuls picks up still-good, unsold food from: 

Captain Marden's Seafood
Chartwells at Babson College
Red Fire Farm CSA in Newton (Seasonal)
Roche Bros. Needham
Roche Bros. Watertown
Roche Bros. Wellesley
Stop & Shop Watertown (Pleasant St.)
Sudbury Farms Needham
Target Watertown
Trader Joe's Needham
Trader Joe's Newton (Needham St.) - expected to start soon
Trader Joe's West Newton
Volante Farms
Wegmans Chestnut Hill
Whole Foods Market Newtonville
Whole Foods Market Wellesley

Spoonfuls, in turn, distributes recovered food to: 

Centre Street Food Pantry
John M. Barry Boys & Girls Club of Newton
Needham Community Council Food Pantry
Needham Council on Aging
Newton Food Pantry

And 100+ community partners across Greater Boston and MetroWest. See all of them here.

Funds raised through the chamber’s Gift Card Give Back program will help increase the organization’s capacity to serve additional community partners and meet rising demand during this critical time.

An estimated 1.1 million Massachusetts families—including thousands within the Charles River Chamber footprint—are expected to lose public food assistance beginning Nov. 1, due to the ongoing federal government shutdown.

Charles River Chamber President and CEO Greg Reibman praised the restaurants. for stepping up to meet this moment, especially at a time when so many of these businesses are facing challenges of their own.

“The quick response from our restaurant community has been remarkable,” Reibman said, noting that many other area businesses have launched individual initiatives with local pantries, farms, and service agencies.

“Whether or not folks choose to contribute to Spoonfuls or directly to their local pantry or Fridge doesn’t matter as long as we all collectively step up to help feed our neighbors at this critical time.”

With more permanent SNAP cuts set to take effect on Jan. 1, private donations to organizations fighting food insecurity will be critical, even if the Trump administration, Congress, or a court order restores SNAP funding for the short term, Reibman added. 

If you are a customer, please consider donating — and buying a gift card — from 20+ participating restaurants.

If your restaurant—or any other business—would like to participate, email Max Woolf at giveback@charlesriverchamber.com for details. We’ll add you to our list of participating chamber members.

Program Starts on Nov. 1

Restaurants can participate anytime, to enroll, email giveback@charlesriverchamber.com 

About the Charles River Regional Chamber 

The Charles River Regional Chamber serves businesses and nonprofits of all sizes in Newton, Needham, Watertown, and Wellesley. Through advocacy, networking, and education, the chamber works to foster a vibrant and inclusive business environment that strengthens the economic and cultural vitality of the region

For more details, contact the Charles River Regional Chamber at giveback@charlesriverchamber.com.

Press inquiries: mwoolf@charlesriverchamber.com