Newton, MA Liz Tavares, Esq., a commercial broker of Jay Nuss Realty Group, LLC, a multi-service commercial real estate brokerage firm, is part of an ongoing effort to arrange meal deliveries between area restaurants and local families, senior citizen programs and individual households in Newton.

The effort has resulted in the delivery of 400 meals daily to needy families.

Tavares represents Jay Nuss Realty Group at the Rotary Club of Newton; the Rotary Club along with the Charles River Regional Chamber (formerly known as the Newton-Needham Chamber of Commerce), Wellesley Youth Commission and local volunteers has spearheaded this effort to provide much needed food relief to local households and the restaurant community.

This is the second year of the program, which delivers meals prepared by restaurants and coordinates the delivery of meals to food pantries and to individual families. Tavares said, “When COVID started and we saw what was happening to the restaurant industry, we wanted to do what we could to support them and help ease the food insecurity that exists in Newton. The program delivers to food pantries and families, and each week we deliver more than 400 meals.”  

Tavares has worked with fellow Rotarian Alie Mahar. The effort is part of the Nourishing Newton Program which was made possible initially through two grants secured by State Senator Cindy Creem. The meals were purchased from independent Newton restaurants and distributed through the Centre St. Food Pantry, the Newton Food Pantry, West Suburban YMCA, the Newton Senior Center, Welcome Home and the Arabic Baptist Church.

In all, the program supplied more than 10,000 meals over two years and brought more than $160,000 into the Newton economy. Tavares said, “The program helped the independent restaurants keep their staff employed and businesses running through the slow winter months, and also providing delicious food for the food pantry clients."

“We are so pleased to have had a hand in this very worthwhile effort,” Tavares said, “We are glad to be associated with groups such as the Charles River Regional Chamber and the Rotary, both of which do so much to support the community.”