New England Country Mart Partners With
Sweet Tomatoes Pizza To Fight Food Insecurity
Portion of Sales Will Go To Newton Food Pantry
(Newton, MA – June 3, 2021) New England Country Mart (NECM) is teaming up with local restaurant Sweet Tomatoes Pizza to help make sure no one goes hungry in Newton. During the month of June, a portion of every Sweet Tomatoes Pizza sold through NECM will go to the Newton Food Pantry. The program is part of NECM’s Groceries that Give Initiative. The help comes at a critical time for the Food Pantry which saw a 63% increase in the number of grocery bags distributed to their clients during the pandemic. Anyone can purchase a Sweet Tomatoes pizza and help the Newton Food Pantry at NewEnglandCountryMart.com.
The Newton Food Pantry (NFP) is the oldest and largest of three pantries in Newton. NFP is an independent, all volunteer nonprofit with no paid staff serving over 1500 Newton residents twice a month and providing them with 10 days worth of groceries.
“Even in affluent suburbs, thousands of families face food insecurity every single day,” said New England Country Mart Co-Founder Elyssa Kotzen. “The Newton Food Pantry, is discretely and reliably providing a lifeline for families in crisis. We are proud to partner with Sweet Tomatoes, a beloved local restaurant, to support the work of the pantry as they continue to meet the overwhelming demand that the pandemic has brought.”
Newton Food Pantry is organizing and leading the Newton Community Freedge collaborative, a free, 24/7 outdoor refrigerator and pantry that provides free food and personal supplies to anyone who needs them. New England Country Mart is currently providing weekly donations of fresh produce, dairy, and other groceries to the Freedge. The Freedge works with 11 community partners who lead and organize teams of volunteers to pick up donations and regularly stock and clean the fridge.
NFP also worked with Lasell University to establish a dry food pantry to address the astounding statistic that 50% of all college students consider themselves food insecure at some point. NFP had a soft launch which was very successful this spring and hope to increase their offerings in August when the entire Lasell community returns to campus.
In 2020, Newton Food Pantry saw a 63% increase in the number of bags distributed to their clients. Since COVID-19, they have distributed 25,270 bags.
Newton Food Pantry is the latest recipient of NECM’s Groceries that Give program. Each month, NECM partners with a different producer to raise funds for a non-profit. Each charity is nominated by NECM customers. Through Groceries that Give, NECM has donated more than $17,000 in the past year to local organizations and causes that reach those most in need.
About New England Country Mart:
New England Country Mart (NECM) is a premium, family-owned fresh produce and grocery home delivery service born out of 4th-generation wholesale produce company J.W. Lopes at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. For more than 100 years, J.W. Lopes and the Kotzen family brought a farm-to-table approach to the wholesale produce business in the Greater-Boston area, and are known for providing fresh premium produce to restaurants, institutions, and grocers.
These same values and expertise were critical to building the foundation for New England Country Mart. NECM strives to deliver the freshest, most sustainable, nutrient-dense foods from every corner of New England. NECM serves the Greater-Boston area with expanded service to Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard, Rhode Island, and Southern New Hampshire.
About Sweet Tomatoes Pizza:
Sweet Tomatoes Pizza opened in Newton Centre in December 1998. The groovy pizzeria was a great addition to the Centre serving not your typical pizzas. Sweet Tomatoes Pizza has been booming ever since owner Hedy Jarras opened the doors and continues to serve the same pizza and customers since day one. In 2003 she opened a second location in West Newton and in 2007 a third location in Needham with co-owner and husband, Brian Canty.
