Charity

Catholic Charities Boston Launches Holiday Giving Drive with M&T Bank to Support Food for Families

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The following announcement was provided by M&T Bank and Catholic Charities:

M&T Bank is joining Catholic Charities Boston (CCAB) in providing Hope for the Holidays to those in need. M&T Bank is collecting non-perishable food items at all Greater Boston branch locations beginning next week through the end of November. The donations will benefit Catholic Charities Boston’s food pantries, which served 69,441 people across Eastern Massachusetts this past year. 

This holiday season, the need for donations is dire as policy changes, funding cuts, and high grocery costs further strain struggling households. One in three Massachusetts families faces food insecurity. One in six Massachusetts families rely on SNAP benefits to feed their families.

Around Town

Gore Place Hosting Handmade for the Holidays Crafts Fair

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Gore Place will host the Handmade for the Holidays Crafts Fair on Sunday, Nov. 9, 2025, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The event is rain or shine! Free Admission! See more details from Gore Place, below. Handmade for the Holidays is back! Join us in our Tent and Carriage House for a crafts fair of handmade goods. The market is free and open to the public!

Entertainment

Mass.’s First Poet Laureate Appearing at Atrium School in Watertown, Public Welcome

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The following announcement was provided by the Atrium School:

Atrium School’s BIPOC Leader Series will host An Evening of Poetry & Prose featuring Massachusetts’ inaugural Poet Laureate, Regie Gibson, together with educators from Atrium School’s Summer Writing Fellowship. The event will take place at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, November 21, at Atrium School in Watertown. The evening will showcase powerful storytelling and original work by Boston-area teacher/writers of color, alongside live literary performances from Gibson – internationally recognized poet, educator, songwriter, and creative voice. “In this moment, educators’ voices are more important than ever. These writers will truth-tell and inspire.

Around Town

“The Light Between” — MassArt Students Illuminate Watertown Park with Public Art Installation

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The following announcement was provided by the City of Watertown:

The City of Watertown is excited to announce the launch of a new temporary public art installation in partnership with the Massachusetts College of Art and Design (MassArt). “The Light Between” is created by students from the Investigations in Light class, led by Professor Elaine Buckholtz. The site-specific work will be on view at Sullivan Park, located at the corner of Arlington Street and Mount Auburn Street in Watertown, MA, from November 3 to November 17, 2025, with an interactive experience that includes puppets, scenic elements, and optical devices in a dynamic interplay of shadow and light on Monday, November 3, 2025, from 5:00 PM to 6:00 PM. Music and seating provided. “The Light Between” uses innovative lighting and material techniques to transform the familiar landscape of Sullivan Park into a dynamic, contemplative experience.

Elections

LETTER: Group of Residents Endorses School Committee Candidate

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Dear Members of the Watertown Community,

We enthusiastically endorse Sheila Krishnan for Watertown School Committee. Having lived in Watertown for over a decade with two elementary-aged children in WPS, Sheila is a dedicated and involved community member. We stand behind Sheila for her commitment to student belonging and safety, educational access, and post-secondary pathways. As a dedicated public health-trained higher education professional and active Watertown citizen, we are confident that she will add an important voice to the Watertown School Committee to advance student learning, well-being, and success in our public schools. 

As parents of caregivers of elementary, middle, and high school students in Watertown Public Schools, we stand behind the district’s mission to create “an equitable, challenging, and innovative learning environment where everyone belongs and every student is empowered to shape the world around them.” We hope that each of our students builds lasting friendships and community with others, grows academically and socially, and goes on to actively contribute in meaningful ways to our world. If elected to the school committee, we unequivocally trust that Sheila would advocate for our children, listen to our and others’ needs and perspectives, collaborate with others and make decisions that advance the district’s mission.

Around Town

Chamber, Local Restaurants Team Up for Gift Card Give Back in Response to SNAP Uncertainty 

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The following announcement was provided by the Charles River Regional Chamber:

More than 20 local restaurants are teaming up this November to help combat food insecurity. Between now and Nov. 26, when you purchase a gift card from a participating restaurant up to 25 percent of the 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 statewide. The Gift Card Give Back program is organized by the Charles River Regional Chamber and its member restaurants in response to uncertainty about the suspension of the SNAP program and the overall growing food insecurity. “The quick response from our restaurant community has been inspiring, especially at a time when so many of these businesses are facing challenges of their own,” said Charles River Chamber President and CEO Greg Reibman.

Schools

German International School of Boston Opens Campus in Watertown for Preschool to Grade 3

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A ribbon cutting for the opening of the German International School of Boston’s new Preschool to Grade 3 campus in Watertown was held on Oct. 14, 2025. (Courtesy of GISB)

The following information was provided by the German International School of Boston:

German International School Boston (GISB) officially opened its doors to 134 students in preschool through grade 3 this Fall at a newly renovated school building at 46 Belmont Street in Watertown, MA. The school building was inaugurated by the Consul General of the Federal Republic of Germany Dr. Sonja Kreibich at a ribbon-cutting ceremony on October 7, 2025. State Representative Steven Owens and Watertown District A City Councilor Nicole Gardner joined the GISB Board of Trustees, the Facility Committee, parents, friends, donors, and staff to celebrate the milestone.

Elections

LETTER: Housing for All Watertown Candidate Event Round Up

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On Sunday, October 26, Housing for All Watertown hosted a housing forum featuring the five candidates for Watertown’s four at-large city council seats: Caroline Bays, John Gannon, Theo Offei, Tony Palomba, and Tom Tracy. Forty Watertown residents heard the candidates discuss their visions for housing policy in Watertown (see the video recording of the forum here), and we were encouraged to see broad consensus on the importance of addressing our city’s critical housing shortage, even if the paths to get there varied across candidates. What united the candidates was clear. The high cost of housing is a core issue for many voters in Watertown, and building more housing — and especially affordable housing — is an urgent moral imperative. Several of the candidates told moving personal stories about their own housing journeys, whether it was an experience facing discrimination from a landlord, going hungry in order to pay the rent, or needing to devise creative housing arrangements to keep family nearby. 

Candidates also shared a strong condemnation of the results of this year’s fair housing audit study, which found that Watertown residents face rampant race- and income source-based discrimination.