On Nov. 1, more than 43 million people nationwide lost SNAP benefits, skyrocketing already rising food insecurity rates. While many parts of the country now face significant hardship, Needham is prepared to weather the storm.
As it became clear over the past few months that the end of benefits was a possibility, Needham Community Council Executive Director Sandra Robinson said the council has been getting ready. “We’ve been making sure we would be prepared for it, that we would have everything that was necessary, that we can increase the number of households who use us rapidly,” she said. “We have the flexibility to continue to increase the number of appointments to make sure everybody can get served.”
Robinson, who has served as executive director for 23 years, was recently named the Middlesex Savings Charitable Foundation’s 2025 recipient of the John R. Heerwagen Award for Nonprofit Leadership. But that was the “minor excitement.” The real excitement, she said, was the $20,000 donation to the Community Council in her name. “That could not come at a better time. This is such an unprecedented time that we are serving individuals in Needham with food insecurity.” She said the donation will go entirely toward the council’s food pantry to buy food and necessary items such as a recently purchased freezer.
Exclusively supported by the community, the council does not rely on any federal or state funding. “We are so thankful for the support the Needham community provides us,” said Robinson. “As in COVID times, people are 100% stepping up. And I want people who need our benefits, I want to reduce their anxiety and let them know we are definitely not going to run out of food.”
As membership to the food pantry increases — 12% more than summer 2024, with 15 new applications filed just in the past week — shelves continue to be fully stocked. Right now, Robinson said they are in good shape, but any financial support or gift card donations to local grocery stores in amounts of $25 would be most helpful.
“We have greater buying power than the average citizen has to buy 200 or 300 cans of corn or tuna,” said Robinson about not needing food donations right now. The pantry also does not have the storage capacity nor the volunteer sorting power to handle more than what it currently has. But come early winter and the spring and summer months, those shelves will be sparse and food drives welcome. “People think of us during crisis times,” she said. “It’s the rest of the year where I need to be sure to remind people we need their help then, too.”
Until recently, 370 households were visiting the food pantry each month — some coming once every few months, others the maximum twice a month. Robinson expects those numbers to double in the upcoming weeks.
People sometimes wonder how an affluent community such as Needham has this level of need. “You don’t know people’s stories,” said Robinson. “People’s lives are really complicated and lots is happening behind closed doors, and we can’t judge that because we don’t know.”
The reality is that one change — divorce, medical emergency, layoff — can turn a person’s situation around in an instant. “These are not people who are just sitting at home eating bonbons and watching television,” she said. “Many are working multiple jobs trying to make this work. Many are trying to feed their children. Many had totally traditional lives for most of their adulthood and then something changed. It can happen to anyone at any time.”
The Needham Community Council works closely with social workers, guidance counselors and Youth and Family services to ensure it adequately serves the needs of the community. Robinson said Massachusetts is fortunate schools continue to provide free breakfast and lunch to all students, because even in Needham there are children who would otherwise go without. “It’s a huge pressure off the food pantries because we know at least Monday through Friday, the children that are income-stretched in that community are getting fed.”
Although the council itself has never been federally funded, the elimination of SNAP benefits has had a trickle-down effect, especially in terms of purchasing food from The Greater Boston Food Bank, which does rely on federal money. With 90% of the food pantry’s inventory coming from GBFB, the council now has to pay for items that once came to them at no cost. “We were getting a lot of USDA food that cost us nothing,” said Robinson. “All that has changed. Now, the reality is that the Greater Boston Food Bank is still much cheaper than going to the regular grocery store, but still paying for some of the food we’re getting from them has increased (costs) pretty substantially because of their cuts.”
As the situation continues to evolve, the council and its board members revisit their budgetary needs to ensure they can continue to meet the needs despite the rising numbers. Robinson said they just upped the budget above the 25% increase they had instituted over the summer, and they will be doing it again.
For those looking for a way to help, Robinson encourages people to financially support local food pantries, help spread the word about the work of the Community Council so people can understand how to contribute or benefit from its services, donate to and buy from the council thrift store, which accounts for a third of its operating budget, and most important: be kind.
“Remember the anxiety other people have, and your own anxiety, and help maintain it at a level that we can all make the best decisions we can make at the time,” she said. “Be understanding of the pressure people are in. A lot of the people we’re serving are working at your nail salons, they’re working at your grocery store, they’re getting minimum wage. If you’re working 40 hours a week and you’re making $30,000, you’re not going to be able to feed your family without supports. People have to remember that.”
The Needham Community Council was founded during the Depression as residents sought ways to help one another. Today, the organization’s tagline is “Neighbors Helping Neighbors.” The food pantry is younger, only 50 years old, and started as a few bags of food for those who happened to come by to ask. Today, it has grown to a full service operation with online scheduling, tracking of family/group sizes, delivery services for the homebound, equitable practices and a human dignity approach to everything, such as becoming a “fresh first” food pantry.
“We want to make sure we’re giving people fresh milk, fresh eggs, fresh produce, frozen things like chicken and ground beef — things that every household in Needham also uses.” Much of the fresh produce comes from local Katsiroubas Bros. and donations from the Needham Community Farm. Robinson said ensuring people have healthy options is critical, especially in times of stress. “Most of us are not eating canned meat. Spam is just not one of those things that we think of as dinner, and we want to make sure our neighbors don’t have to think about it as dinner either.”
Although Robinson worries about what the future holds, especially with the uncertainty on a national scale, she feels with the systems in place and the council’s ability to pivot, Needham will continue to be OK.
“So many things can affect us, and we want to make sure we’re here to be the safety net and support people so they don’t fall too far. Because if you don’t fall too far you can climb back out. It may take you time, but you can climb out. That’s what we want to make sure people can do.”
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