Emily Craven — Newton North HS ’22, now studying at University of Vermont — was the primary fundraiser for last year’s Fig City News summer internship program, and she’s back with a higher goal. On April 20, Emily will once again run the Boston Marathon to raise $8,500 for the Fig…
Posts published in “Helping Others”
I am writing to thank the residents of Newton for demonstrating their community spirit and commitment to sustainability by donating nearly 400,000 pounds of clothing and household goods to Morgan Memorial Goodwill Industries in 2025. Goodwill is a community-based nonprofit that relies on these donations to support its mission. Each…
This month, Fig City News profiles two particularly generous members of our community – Josephine McNeil and Lionel Porter – in celebration of Black History Month. Josephine McNeil Josephine McNeil is the founder and executive director of the Citizens for Affordable Housing in Newton Development Organization (CAN-DO), a community-based, nonprofit…
Tuesday afternoons at the Centre Street Food Pantry are humming with activity. The police direct traffic as a line of cars queue up at the back entrance of the Trinity Parish of Newton Centre for Senior Hour. Drivers wait patiently in line, order slips tucked neatly inside their car windshields.…
Dozens of residents braved a New England snowstorm February 7 to enjoy a Chestnut Hill dessert crawl benefitting the Newton Food Pantry. They walked a route spanning The Street shopping center, sheltering from the snow in sweetly-scented stores along the way. Standing inside the crawl’s last stop, The Half Cookie,…
The First Unitarian Universalist Society of Newton’s (FUUSN) Social Justice Speakers Task Force is holding a discussion with Christine Nguyen, Jefferson Hussey, and Renee Hamilton, volunteer organizers with the Eastern Service Workers Association (ESWA), on Sunday, February 22 at 12PM in the FUUSN Alliance Room (1326 Washington Street, West Newton). ESWA is an all-volunteer association of…
On Saturday, February 28th at 5 PM, the Yamawaki Art and Cultural Center at Lasell University in Newton will host the Warmth & Solidarity Concert—a charity event bringing together artists, medical professionals, and volunteers to expedite emergency aid to civilians in Ukraine. The concert will feature Vadim Neselovskyi, the internationally acclaimed Ukrainian pianist…
On Sunday, March 1 from 5-7PM at 288 Walnut St, Newtonville, Working Towards Change (WTC) is partnering with Boston Children’s Hospital to host a hygiene kit-building event supporting adolescents who are struggling to meet basic needs as a result of recent SNAP benefit cuts. Volunteers will collect donated personal hygiene…
Come and hear the wonderful musicians of the First Unitarian Universalist Society (FUUSN) in concert on Sunday, March 8, 2026 at 2PM in the FUUSN Sanctuary (1326 Washington Street, West Newton). This concert is a fundraiser for the UU Urban Ministry. You’ll hear classical chamber music by pianists Paul Antonucci and Lois Shapiro,…
Newton Schools Foundation (NSF) will host its second annual Trivia Night fundraiser on March 13, 7PM-10:30PM, at American Legion Post #440 (295 California Street). Proceeds from the event will fund grants for teachers to bring innovative programs and educational approaches to students in the Newton Public Schools. “Trivia Night is…