Newton Food Pantry debuts Rumford Avenue facility

After a 10-year tenure in the basement of Newton City Hall, the Newton Food Pantry cut the ribbon on its new building at 131 Rumford Avenue in Auburndale on Friday, June 12. The building features 5,000 square feet of space and includes many new amenities, such as a refrigerated produce room and a spacious warehouse. (See articles on the March 2025 announcement and the October 2025 construction update.)

Jeff Lemberg, executive director of the Newton Food Pantry, introduced the new building to the 75 or so people in attendance, remarking on the importance of the Pantry as a whole in bridging divides across cultures and ensuring that all of Newton’s residents are able to meet their dietary needs, regardless of their income.

“Getting rid of the stigma [of food insecurity], increasing access to food, creating an environment that prioritizes dignity, respect, culture, is the thing that drove the new Food Pantry, and really is, for me, what makes this such a beautiful thing,” Lemberg said.

Lemberg noted that the debut of the new space comes at a pivotal moment, when more and more people are becoming susceptible to food insecurity. According to Lemberg, nearly 100,000 people across Massachusetts have lost or are at risk of losing their SNAP benefits because of new federal restrictions. 

Lemberg said that in response, the Food Pantry will be rolling out numerous additional services, in order to better support the Newton community.

“Our new space will allow us to change what support looks like. For community partnerships. We will connect clients with SNAP enrollment assistance, health and wellness, and other resources,” Lemberg said. “We’re going to extend our hours of operation as soon as we open. So we’re going to expand our operation hours on Thursdays.  In the fall, we’ll be opening on some Saturdays, and we’re going to be working over the next couple of years to expand the various ways that we serve clients.”

Lemberg thanked the Food Pantry board president Sindy Wayne for being the “guiding light” for establishing the new building. Wayne was next to deliver remarks at the ceremony.

In her address to the audience of community members, City Councilors, State Representatives, volunteers, and other contributors, Wayne delivered thanks to everyone who had made the new building possible, including the Waltham-based architectural firm Scott/Griffin Architects, the Malden-based women-owned construction management firm Pidgeon & Co., and many individual community members.

At the conclusion of her speech, Wayne invited the Newton Food Pantry’s first president and founder, Jackie Colby — currently 102 years old — to cut the ribbon to the new building, which she did to applause.

With the speech segment and ribbon-cutting done, there were opportunities to tour the new building, including its grocery-store style aisle section, loading area, and large refrigerator room equipped with sinks for washing fresh produce. Tour guides also described the building’s energy efficiencies, including a soon-to-be added solar array and batteries.

The tours were led by board members of the Newton Food Pantry, such as Jill Coull, who organized the tour attended by Fig City News.

Coull first led the tour group to the very front of the shopping area, which she said in the future will have chairs and a welcome table, to ensure an environment that is as reflective of normal grocery shopping as possible. According to Coull, the grocery-shopping arrangement will also reduce waste.

Coull pointed out the culturally relevant food section, which provides culturally appropriate food items for people of Russian, Latino, and Chinese descent, among other nationalities.

“In the summer, we have amazing partnerships with The Newton Community Farm, so we do get a great deal of food just donated in the summertime. Personal hygiene items, if we don’t get enough donated, come from Hope & Comfort and Dignity Matters,” Coull said. “Dignity Matters is a great partner for menstrual care items, a majority of which are not available if you do qualify for government assistance… You’re not getting shampoo, soap, menstrual products, and toilet paper.”

In her tour, Coull described the numerous advantages provided by the new space, including its far larger capacity for food storage, leading the Food Pantry to be able to purchase much more food and accept larger donations. The walk-in fridge and freezer, produce room, loading area, and dedicated volunteer-only back-of-house areas were also all highlighted as major upgrades.

Coull elaborated on additional services that will be offered by the new building in the future, such as plans for online ordering and pickup, expanded wraparound services (such as SNAP enrollment assistance and health screenings), and new community partnerships. Coull added that the Rumford Avenue location will offer translation support in four different languages – English, Russian, Chinese, and Spanish.

Lemberg told Fig City News that the pantry spends roughly $500,000 per year on food and personal care items, of which about half is through the Greater Boston Food Bank and JW Lopes.

Newton Food Pantry board member Luciano Ramos confirmed that the new location would open to patrons on June 24, with the former location in the basement of City Hall closed starting June 18 to allow for the transition.

Aimee Lambert, Client & Volunteer Engagement Manager at the Newton Food Pantry, said that she anticipates some new challenges with the introduction of the new building, but she also hopes it will allow the Food Pantry to serve more people.

“The one challenge we’ll have is …it’s going to be more challenging for some of our clients to come, because we’re a little more removed [compared to the City Hall location]. The majority of our clients drive. We do have some that use public transportation, and the bus stop is a few doors down. So we’re worried about them and thoughtful of them and trying to connect them with resources,” Lambert said.

Ed. Note: We have updated this article with several corrections offered by Newton Food Pantry.