Around Town

A Variety of Volunteer Projects to Work on This May During Watertown Helps Out

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The following information came from the Watertown Community Foundation:

Would you like to give back to the community you love? The Watertown Community Foundation (WCF), along with local sponsors and dozens of neighbors, will be out in the community again during the Month of May 2024, volunteering to make Watertown a nicer place to live and work. 

If you would like to volunteer please take a peek at all of the opportunities available in the month of May. More volunteer opportunities are still to be added, so check back in from time to time. We’re looking forward to a fantastic community Month in Watertown! THURDAY, MAY 2

Senior Center: Garden Clean Up: 10 a.m.-1 p.m.

SATURDAY, MAY 4

Whitney Hill Clean Up: 9 a.m.-12 p.m.

Cannalonga Park Clean Up: 10 a.m.-12 p.m.

Watertown Cable Access Digital Archive Project: 12-3 p.m.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 8

Perkins School for the Blind Concert/Music Program Support: 8:45-11:40 a.m.

Saltonstall Community Path Clean-Up: 9 a.m.-2 p.m.

Perkins School for the Blind Concert/Music Program Support: 5-9 p.m.

FRIDAY, MAY 10

Metrowest Collaborative Garden Clean-Up: 12-4 p.m.

SATURDAY, MAY 11

Brigham House Gardening: 10 a.m.-1 p.m.

Community Gardens Invasive Plant and/or Trash Removal: 1-3 p.m.

See the complete list of volunteer opportunities and sign up online here.

Around Town

Watertown Community Foundation to Award $130,000 for 2024 Spring Grant Cycle

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The following announcement was provided by the Watertown Community Foundation:

The Watertown Community Foundation (WCF) will open the 2024 application process for Institutional and Program grants starting April 1. These grants support local non-profits, community-based organizations, programs, and projects that serve Watertown. Approximately $130,000 in grants will be awarded. WCF’s Program Grants will support new or existing programs with an educational focus (broadly defined) that are run by local organizations that serve Watertown and are not offered through Watertown’s public or private schools. Eligible organizations may apply for grants of $500 up to $5,000. WCF’s Institutional Support Grants will support non-profit institutions central to the Watertown community by providing funds to support the organizational mission, staffing and operating costs.

Schools

Watertown Schools Received $20K in Grants from Community Foundation & Local Biotechs

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The following announcement was provided by the Watertown Community Foundation:

The Watertown Community Foundation (WCF) in collaboration with three Watertown-based life science companies, C4 Therapeutics, Enanta Pharmaceuticals, and Kymera Therapeutics has awarded $20,000 in STEM grants for students in Watertown Public Schools (WPS). This additional funding for STEM initiatives will bring WCF Education grant funding to WPS to an annual high of $55,000 for 2023-2024. Three corporate contributors, C4 Therapeutics, Enanta Pharmaceuticals, and Kymera Therapeutics have contributed $15,000 to the WCF STEM FUND to help bring elementary and high-school students the opportunity to participate in hands-on, science-based learning that expands beyond the classroom experience and the general curriculum. This collective giving program also allows companies, leaders and employees in Watertown’s life-science ecosystem to learn about WPS and forge deeper relationships with the school STEM community. The WCF has committed an additional $5,000 to support this program.

Around Town

Series on Food Insecurity in Watertown Debuts on WCA-TV

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Jan Singer, left, the former Executive Director of the Watertown Community Foundation, discussed how the Foundation responded to food insecurity during the Pandemic with journalists Maya Shwayder and Charlie Breitrose. (Photo by Dan Hogan / WCA-TV)

The following announcement was provided by Watertown Cable Access Television:

In cooperation with the Watertown News and thanks to a generous grant from the Watertown Community Foundation, Watertown Cable News is producing a series of videos chronicling issues of hunger and food insecurity in the community. In part 1 of the series, we talk to a number of different stakeholders in the community from the Food Pantry, Famers’ Market, Wayside, and Community Foundation to find out how many people are struggling and where the gaps in service lie. Accompanying this series are articles written by WCN news anchor and local journalist Maya Shwayder as well as Watertown News Editor Charlie Breitrose. Read the Articles

Part 1: Watertown’s Hidden Problem: Food Insecurity Among Us

Part 2: Hunger Hits Home: A Watertown Teenager’s Struggle to Feed Herself

Part 3: Hunger in Watertown: Task Force Tackles Social Needs, Tries to Fills Gaps Left by State, Local Programs

Part 4: Through Pandemics & Collapsed Ceilings, the Watertown Food Pantry Stays Open

Part 5: Filling the Watertown’s Free Fridge is a Community Effort

Part 6: Food Insecurity in Watertown: Hunger is a Multi-Faceted Problem — It Won’t Magically Go Away

Roundtable Discussion

On February 12th, WCN and the Watertown News produced a live roundtable discussion at the Mosesian Center for the Arts to hear from representatives from the city, Food Pantry, Watertown Housing Authority, and Wayside to dive further into these issues.

Around Town

Projects Wanted for 10th Annual Watertown Helps Out

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The following announcement was provided by the Watertown Community Foundation:

Got a to-do list that just keeps getting longer? Watertown is full of energetic volunteers willing to help get those jobs done. During our 10th annual WATERTOWN HELPS OUT the Watertown Community Foundation (WCF) will bring projects and volunteers together for a month of community service during May, 2024. We want to help connect you to the resources and people you need to get your work done. Connect Your Organization to the Watertown Community

Volunteers can help with projects such as cleaning, trash pick-up, gardening (spring clean-up, planting, raking, pruning, etc), organizing closets/shelves, handyman work, general errands, light carpentry, delivery/posting of flyers, office work, data entry, painting or decorating projects and more. You’ll also raise awareness of your organization and strengthen your relationship with people, businesses, and employees interested in supporting your work. BY MARCH 30, 2024: IDENTIFY A PROJECT YOU NEED HELP WITH

Watertown’s life-science companies and local businesses want to give back to Watertown by encouraging their employees to volunteer here in town.

Around Town

Tickets, Tables & Sponsorships Available for Watertown Community Foundation Trivia Night

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The annual Watertown Community Foundation Trivia Night will be coming to the Sons of Italy Hall on March 8. See more information provided by WCF below. Our annual Trivia Night fundraiser brings together teams of all ages for a night of fun and good cheer. Join us on Friday, March 8, from 7:00 -10:00 pm, at the Sons of Italy Hall in Watertown to support grants that help make a positive impact in our schools and in the lives of the people who live and work in Watertown. Tickets

Buy individual tickets ($45/ea) and you’ll be part of our team (click here)

Have a team together?

Around Town

What Watertown is Doing to Fight Hunger, What More Can be Done — See the Panel Discussion

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A live roundtable discussion about how hunger impacts Watertown took place on Feb. 12 at the Mosesian Center for the Arts. (Courtesy of Watertown Cable)

Nearly one-in-seven Watertown residents qualify for government food programs, but only about half have signed up for the assistance. Many more people living in town do not qualify for the programs, for one reason or another, despite being in a low-income household. And putting more stress on the situation is the increasing cost of housing in town.

Around Town

Hear How Watertown is Tackling the Growing Problem of Hunger at a Live Roundtable Discussion

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After the ceiling collapsed in the church that hosts the Watertown Food Pantry, pickup was moved outside for several weeks. (Photo by Kathy Cunningham)

A lack of food has long been a problem for some Watertown residents, but the number of people worried about going hungry increased during the Pandemic and the numbers have only declined slightly in the past few years. On Feb. 12, Watertown News and Watertown Cable Access Television will host a live discussion with some of the people working on the problem of food insecurity in town. The Watertown Food Pantry has seen the number of families served each week double from pre- to post-pandemic.