Volunteer & Give Back

Adults

Info for Adults looking for volunteer opportunities.

Adult Volunteers

Students

Info for students looking for volunteer opportunities.

Student Volunteers

Families

Get the whole family involved in giving back.

Family Volunteers

Food Drives

How to plan a food drive to support our Food Pantry.

Food Drive Info

Adult Volunteers

Volunteer Opportunites

Current Volunteer Needs as of May 2022

Food Pantry Mobile Market Volunteers:

Help your Needham neighbors by bringing the grocery store to their door!

We are looking for a volunteer on Friday afternoons for just one hour to pickup food from the food pantry and distribute it with our partner the Needham Community Farm at a Needham housing authority site.

The volunteer must have their own form of transportation and volunteer from 2:30 pm – 3:30 pm on Fridays. Interested? Use the link below and select “Food Pantry” as your area of interest or call the office for more information.

Volunteer Application

Ride For Food 2022:

We are creating our Ride for Food team and ALL are welcome! This year’s ride will have a 5K Walk or choose from two rides 25 mile or 50 mile. Team events have been added to get us all excited and prepared for the the ride.

Learn More

How Our Volunteers Help

For over 90 years the Council has been run by our family of volunteers. Our team of over 100 volunteers keep our services going – we couldn’t do it without them!

Volunteers work in many areas of the Council including:

Thrift Store
Food Pantry
Data Entry
Office Support
Special Events
English Language Learning
Tablets & Tutors
Child Assault Prevention Program

What is Expected of Our Volunteers

People count on us and our services.

Our volunteers typically work once a week for a 2-3 hour shift.
We ask you to take responsibility for your committment to the Council seriously. We know things come up and ask for a days notice if you are unable to attend.
All volunteers will be asked to sign a confidentiality form.
Volunteers that work in the Food Pantry, ELL and Tablets and Tutors programs will be asked to sign CORI form.
Treat co-workers, clients and the members of the public fairly and without discrimination.
Respect the mission and goals of the Council.

Getting Started

Thanks for your interest in volunteering at the Needham Community Council. We are lucky to be in a town where the residents care so much about their neighbors and helping others. At this time, we are unable to accept or onboard new volunteers to work onsite. Please feel free to reach out again at a later date.

We have started a list of those interested in helping out should we find ourselves in need of additional drivers that can assist in our deliveries of food to our clients that are unable to get out. These deliveries happen on Tuesday Mornings between 10-11. Please sign up here if you could help On Call Food Delivery People. You can also check our website to look at other ways to support our efforts.

English Language Learning Tutor Program

Our ELL tutors do not need to know the language of their learner or have teaching experience. They just need to be flexible, welcoming, and open to other cultures!

Tutors attend free training sessions in the spring or fall. They are then paired with a learner to meet [weekly] for 60-90 minutes to practice English conversation, reading and/or writing depending on student needs. Meetings can be virtual or at a location that is convenient. (Zoom support is available)

For more about the ELL program and how you can apply to be a tutor: English Language Learning

Corporate or Large Group Vounteers

We are grateful for your organization’s desire to give back. Space within our building is extremely limited therefore we ask for support off site. Please contact us to learn more about these opportunites and to get started.

Some ideas to help your group get involved are:

Dedicated food drive
Clothing drive for Thrift Store inventory
Returnable can or bottle drive
Coin drive
Birthday bags
Always open to new ideas!

If any of these opportunities interest you please complete the following application and share your interest or ideas in the Notes field

Volunteer Interest Form

Student Volunteers

Volunteer Opportunites

What You Need to Know

The Needham Community Council embraces the idea of students experiencing the importance of giving back. They can also use this as an opportunity to complete their required community service volunteer hours. Lots of our students continue with us even after the requirement is completed because the enjoyment and sense of community they get out of our volunteer experience!

We will not respond to parent requests – drop-ins or phone calls.
We will respond to your online request to set up an interview, but please be patient.
All communications must be from the student directly.
We expect all volunteers to act in a professional, responsible manner.
Students must be willing to commit to a minimum of 2 hours a week for 4 months

High School Students

We offer volunteer opportunities to high school students. In addition to completing their school community service requirements, our young volunteers learn the value of being a part of a community of “People Helping People”

Requests from parents, family members, teachers will not be accepted. We feel strongly that part of the growth from a volunteer experience is a student taking on the responsibility in an independent and mature fashion.

We typically do not have students work in the Food Pantry due to confidentiality.

Preference is given to Needham residents.

More details about volunteering: High School Volunteer Info

Middle School Students

As we are reopening and adapting our programs after Covid, we are still limiting the number of volunteers in our building. For this reason, we are unable to offer opportunties for our younger students.

Student Kindness Project

The Student Kindness Project encourages our students to perform a simple act of kindness for a friend, neighbor or family member.

In order to receive community service credit students must complete a Kindness Log and write an impact Statement.

Program Details: Student Kindness Project Info (PDF)

Family Volunteers

Getting Your Family Involved

About Volunteering at the Council

We love to see families in Needham teaching the value of giving back to their community. Due to safety and privacy issues, we are unable to have young children volunteering in our building. We’ve collected a number of other ways to help families participate and learn the value of helping others. We look forward to having you and your family be a part of our community of “People Helping People”

Cans for Calcium

The Cans for Calcium Program collects returnable bottles & cans and uses the proceeds to purchase all the milk for the Food Pantry. Since the pandemic started he’s collected over $25,000 in returnables! Run by our volunteer, Jeff Dinneen, join his team of young people and families who help organize can drives in their neighborhood and help sorting and collecting the cans at the Needham Transfer Station. Email the office@needhamcouncil.org if you are interested in joining the team.

Can’t get to the Needham RTS when they are open? Drop your collections 24/7 at Jeff’s home at 1625 Great Plain Ave (green barrels at the end of driveway).

Family Food Pantry Fundraiser

Counting on You to Fight Hunger Activity

The Needham Public Schools lunch program partnered with us and printed a interactive Calendar on the back of all school menus. Children from all over Needham counted their pennies to give back.

Little hands make a big difference. Each day on the calendar has an easy and fun activity that your family can do together to be mindful of
hunger and help our Food Pantry.

All you have to do is:

FIND: Find a bowl or storage container. Place it at your table to remind you of those who go without nutritious food each day.
COUNT: Every day, count something in your home according to the prompt on your calendar.
COLLECT: Put a coin in the bowl for each item counted.
DONATE: At the end of the month, donate the coins to the Needham Community Council’s Food Pantry, located at 570 Hillside Ave.

COUNTING ON YOU TO FIGHT HUNGER CALENDAR

Private Fundraisers

The youth of Needham have amazing ideas, talents and heart! Creating small private fundraisers that have big impact is a great way to give back and help kids enjoy building community. We thank all the kids and families that have joined our team of “People Helping People” with some of these ideas:

making jewelry to sell to friends
collecting golf balls to resell to local golfers
selling healthy food to commuters at the train station
collecting spare change coins
making tie dye masks to sell locally

Use one of these ideas or create your own to help your kids make a difference!

Common Cents Collections

Please check back soon for details on a new way to help our kids learn about the importance of saving and giving back their resources.

Food Drives

How to Plan a Food Drive

Limited Food Drive Options

Please read the details below and complete a Food Drive Interest Form
FOOD DRIVE INTEREST FORM

We are only accepting food to the Food Pantry by way of dedicated Food Drives. If you or an organization would like to have a food drive, we will ask that the food be limited to the items we need most during that time. These items are typically items we find it hard to purchase affordably.

Please check that food that is donated to your food drive has not expired!
We can not distribute food that is past it’s expiration date.

Items we are currently in need of:

Cooking Oil – any kind	Coffee	Tea (Individually wrapped)
Canned Peas & Corn	Tuna	Sugar & Flour
Ketchup	Real Mayonnaise	Household Cleaning Products
Protein Bars	Granola Bars	Laundry Detergent
Aluminum Foil	Salad Dressing – Italian & Ranch	Cereal

(this list last updated 5/24/22)

Please begin by completing a Food Drive Interest Form.

We will contact you regarding drop off times and answer any of your questions

FOOD DRIVE INTEREST FORM

Current Hours

Office/Phones:
Monday - Friday	8:30 am – 4:00 pm

Thrift Donation Site:
Monday & Friday	10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Tuesday & Thursday	10:00 am – 6:00 pm
Saturday	10:00 am – 2:00 pm

Thrift Shop:
Monday & Friday	10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Tuesday & Thursday	10:00 am – 6:00 pm
Saturday	10:00 am – 2:00 pm

Beginning June 17th, the office and thrift store will close on Friday's at 12 noon.

Food Pantry:

Accepting new customers and current customers by reservation only. Please call 781-444-2415 for details.

Council offices and all programs are closed on most major holidays. We follow the Needham Public School weather closings

Kalindi-Kango

Kalindi has masters degree in Mathematics and Computer Science from Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, India. She initially began her career at Computer Vision in Burlington, MA and later worked as a software consultant for Fortune 500 companies like Johnson and Johnson and Pfizer. Kalindi has lived in Florida, New Jersey, California and returned back to Massachusetts. She and her husband with two daughters moved here in Needham in 2015 and quickly found strong ties to the Needham Community. Both her daughters graduated from Needham High School and continued to pursue higher professional education.

Over the years Kalindi has volunteered her time at various non-profits including Saheli - a non-profit for battered women from south Asian and middle eastern community, as a treasurer for Pony Club of Northern California, and librarian at Bridgewater-NJ Elementary School. Most recently, during Covid-19 crisis, she participated in Boston Area Mask Initiative, a movement that provided over 60000 masks to underserved population by sewing them at her Needham residence. She contributed to local groups within Needham-Wellesley area in sewing and distributing surgical caps and masks for healthcare workers at local hospitals. Prior to being on the Council Board, Kalindi worked as a volunteer at the council to streamline recording of volunteer hours and medical equipment loaning records. She looks forward to working with the council in coming years and helping achieve the Council goals and support the Needham community.

Susan Mitchell

Susan is a geriatrician and health services researcher at the Hebrew SeniorLife Marcus Institute for Aging Research and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. Susan is originally from Montreal. She is a graduate of the University of Ottawa medical school and has a Master’s of Public Health from Harvard University. Her career has largely focused on conducting research to improve the quality of life of older persons with serious illness, particularly dementia.

She moved to the Needham from Canada in 2000. She lives with her partner, has two step-children, and enjoys hiking with her beloved labradoodle through the Town Forest. Susan loves living in Needham and looks forward to contributing to the community.

David-Carter

David is a Senior Vice President and Deputy General Counsel at Fidelity Investments providing legal counsel to the firm’s asset management and operations businesses. David specializes in mutual fund corporate governance matters, including substantial involvement with mutual fund boards of directors, as well as SEC rulemaking processes.

David has held a variety of roles in Fidelity’s legal department since joining Fidelity in 2005. From 2010 to 2014, David led a team of lawyers and project managers who coordinated Fidelity’s response to rulemaking following the financial crisis. Prior to joining Fidelity, David spent five years as associate at Ropes & Gray, where he worked on a broad range of corporate and securities law matters.

David received his A.B. in Economics from the University of Michigan and his JD from Harvard Law School. He has lived in Needham since 2008 with his wife and their two sons

Joyce McCafferty

Joyce cannot believe she has lived in Needham for 10 years. It still seems like yesterday when the McCafferty family moved into town. Despite not having friends nor family here, the family has forged strong bonds of friendship with neighbors within this welcoming community and are proud to call Needham home.

Armed with a degree in chemical engineering from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Joyce’s career began in pharmaceuticals. Stay at home parenting temporarily interrupted her career trajectory. However, this detour pales in comparison with her current pursuit of a new career in healthcare as an EMT and ski patroller.

Previously active in ParentTalk, Joyce is excited at the opportunity to serve the larger community of Needham.

Andrea Wasserman

Andrea B. Wasserman is an innovative leader, effective strategist, and philanthropy expert. She consistently inspires clients to exceed their fundraising goals by focusing on smart development strategies and unleashing the right talent.

As Founder and President of the boutique organizational development firm ABW Partners (formerly Social Profit Ventures), Andrea has partnered with nearly 50 clients on customized engagements around the design and execution of exceptional advancement and fundraising programs. Andrea also delivers an expansive array of fundraising coaching, proficiency building, and learning opportunities from the c-suite and board level to development departments and cross-organization teams.

Before launching her firm in 2012, Andrea was the catalyst behind fundraising at various high-performing local, national, and international nonprofits. Charged with the responsibility of driving comprehensive and sustainable financial resource development, Andrea assumed pivotal roles at UJA Federation of New York, Wall Street Division; United Jewish Communities (first as the Director of National Young Leadership Cabinet and then Director of National Women’s Constituency); Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School; and BBYO International.

In concert with dynamic colleagues and stakeholders at these and other organizations, Andrea has successfully built cultures, systems, teams, and strategies that have yielded tens of millions of philanthropic dollars to foster vibrant communities worldwide.

Passionate about her family, friends, and community, Andrea resides in Needham with her husband Adam, son Zachary, and labradoodle Tucker. The Wassermans are members of Temple Beth Shalom in Needham.

Mary Richman

Mary, her husband Jeff and three kids (Noa, Patrick and Evie) have lived in Needham since they moved here from DC in 2007.

Mary graduated from the University of Virginia where she studied Finance and Marketing. She now works as a part-time consultant, providing marketing and financial analysis services for a few local companies.

Mary became involved in the Needham Community through her work at Parent Talk, first as their Fundraising Chair and then as a Co-President for 2 years.

Prior to being on the Council Board, Mary was familiar with the Council through her volunteer work as PTC Co-President at the Mitchell School.

Diane Retzky

Diane has over 20 years of experience in human resources and is responsible for all aspects of HR at New England Development where she has worked since 2008. She spearheads the company’s recruitment and retention initiatives and works closely with New England Development’s family of companies, including MarketPlace Development, Nantucket Island Resorts, and Newburyport Development, on their human resources needs.

Diane received a B.S. degree from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and her M.B.A. from Babson College.

Diane is a member of Society for Human Resource Management and a member of CREW Boston, New England’s leading network of professional women working in commercial real estate. 2021 will mark her seventh year on the Council Board.

Alrie McNiff Daniels

Alrie has more than two decades of nonprofit experience. Currently the senior communications officer at Tufts Health Plan Foundation, she previously worked at FSG, a mission-driven consulting firm; the American Cancer Society; and as a freelance writer/communications consultant.

Alrie's community and volunteer service includes fundraising for established nonprofit organizations, board roles on neighborhood associations, pro bono support for emerging nonprofits and numerous roles at her children’s schools. Alrie has produced school talent shows, managed logistics for school publications, coordinated teacher/staff appreciation events, and served as a room parent, classroom volunteer, Cub Scout den parent and Girl Scout leader. She also sat on the Board of Directors of the Library Foundation of Needham.

A native New Yorker, Alrie lived in Washington, DC; Alameda, CA; Chapel Hill, NC; Natick, MA; and Falls Church, VA during her husband’s Coast Guard career. They moved to Needham in 2003.

Andrew McCollum

Andrew is a Partner and Managing Director at Greenwich Associates, the global research-based consultancy. Andrew oversees the firm’s global Investment Management practice and is responsible for managing relationships with leading asset managers and investment consultants.

With over 20 years of consulting to the asset management industry, Andrew has experience advising clients on a variety of distribution, marketing and product issues. He has recently led advisory engagements on global growth assessments, entering the institutional market, brand equity analyses, product positioning and messaging, thought leadership program design and execution, and private equity fundraising. He has also authored studies on opportunities and threats in the Outsourced CIO market, trends in the ETF marketplace and developments in the defined contribution market. In addition, Andrew oversees the Firm’s work with institutional investors in North America and the subscription-based information service, Greenwich ACCESS™ for Asset Managers. He frequently delivers keynote presentations at industry conferences and is quoted in mainstream and industry publications.

Before joining the Firm in 2009, Andrew was a Managing Director at Chatham Partners and was responsible for managing the company’s research and consulting relationships with asset managers and defined contribution record-keepers. Prior to that, he worked in the Financial Services and Corporate Strategy Practices at CEB (Corporate Executive Board) advising firms on strategy development, strategic planning, M&A, and competitive intelligence, among other topics.

Andrew received his BA in Political Science from Cornell University and his MBA from the Kellogg School at Northwestern University. Andrew lives in Needham, Massachusetts with his wife and two daughters.

Jonathan Kappel

Jonathan is the Executive Director of Principal Gifts for Clark University.

Previous to working at Clark, Jonathan worked as a fundraising professional at the Anti-Defamation League, American Jewish Committee and Clark University where he has returned after 10 years. Jonathan received the Senn-Greenberg award for excellence in staff leadership from the Anti-Defamation League.

Jonathan and his wife, Carol, co-created the Ultimate Pink Drink fundraiser benefiting breast cancer research. He is also a past board member of the Needham Educational Foundation (NEF).

Lynn-Gotwals

Lynn Gotwals has been a Needham resident for 23 years. She and her husband raised their two daughters here.

Lynn is a teacher at the Mitchell School in Needham. Previously, she worked in project management for several nonprofit and for-profit organizations.

Lynn's previous volunteer work includes serving on the boards of the Needham Education Foundation, Needham Steps Up and the Outreach Committee at the Congregational Church of Needham. She began working with the Community Council as a Team Captain for the Ride for Food, an annual ride to benefit food pantries in the area.

Lynn has a B.A. from Smith College and a M.Ed. from Lesley University.

Linda Farley

Linda grew up in Needham; in 2000, she and her husband, Brian returned to Needham.

Linda has been active in Needham organizations including Newcomers, Parent Talk, and Needham Pool & Racquet Club. She’s also been involved in various school and youth sports activities through her 3 children who graduated from Needham High School.

Linda has been an HR professional for 30+ years including roles in high tech, consulting and healthcare; in 2018 Linda joined Needham Bank to lead its HR and Learning and Development team.

In addition to volunteering on the Board of the Needham Community Council, Linda serves on the Board of the Greater New England/National Multiple Sclerosis Society and participates on the Bike MS-Ride the Vineyard Committee and the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee.

Diane DerMarderosian

Diane was born and raised in Needham.

Diane graduated from Amherst College and then attended the Mount Sinai School of Medicine where she was selected to be part of the Humanities and Medicine Program. She completed her residency training in pediatrics at Brown University where she is the Pediatric Director of the Hasbro Partial Hospital Program, an integrated, family-based day program for children with complex medical and psychological issues. She is also an Associate Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at the Alpert Medical School of Brown University.

Previously, Diane served as the Medical Director of the Hasbro Children’s Hospital Eating Disorders Program and worked for many years as a primary care pediatrician at a health center in Roxbury.

Diane serves on the Patient and Family Centered Care Steering Committee at Hasbro, the Medical Advisory Board for Reach Out and Read RI, and the Patient and Family Centered Care Advisory Council at BID-Needham.

Diane lives in Needham with her husband, Peter, and sons PJ and Armen.

Priscilla Dasse

Priscilla has donated her time by volunteering at the Needham Community Council thrift shop and food pantry since 2012.

Priscilla received a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, R.N from Boston College, and her Masters in Public Health from Boston University.

Some accomplishments in Priscilla's career include working as: a U.S. Navy Lieutenant (1969-1972); a nurse epidemiologist at Boston City Hospital (1972-1974); an Associate Director at Beth Israel Hospital in Boston (1974-1991); a Trustee at Deaconess Glover Hospital ( 1991-1998), Senior Vice President at CRICO/Risk Management Foundation, Harvard Medical Institutions (1998-2001); Senior Faculty Investigator at the Institute of Health Policy, Partners and Massachusetts General Hospital (2002); Senior Vice President, Performance Improvement and Chief Quality Officer at Cambridge Health Alliance (2002-2012); and a consultant in patient safety at Partners Healthcare System (2012-2014).

2021 will mark Priscilla’s eighth year on the Board of the Needham Community Council.

Margie Margolis

Past-President

Margie and her husband Jerry have lived in Needham since 1971 where they raised their children and enjoy their 4 grandchildren.

Margie has been a Town Meeting Member since 1970, and also served for four years on the Needham Education Foundation. She served on the Future School Needs Committee for sixteen years.

Margie taught first grade for twenty-three years at Hillside School. There she helped coordinate teachers and students with collecting food and goods that were delivered to the Council Food Pantry on a monthly basis. “When I retired, I was eager to be a part of the Council Board to be a stronger force in the over-all operation and to serve in any way I was needed.”

2021 will mark Margie’s seventh year on the Needham Community Council Board. Until COVID-19 hit, she continued to help schedule food deliveries with the Needham schools, and helped with the “Back to School Project” which usually takes place in August at the Council.

John Frantz

Treasurer

Currently retired, John was previously employed by The Boston Consulting Group. There he provided consulting services to major corporations, held a senior internal financial management position, and led an Investment Committee with oversight responsibility for the firm's U.S. retirement plans.

2022 marks John's seventh year on the Needham Community Council Board. He is also on the Board of the Charles River School, a preK-8 school in Dover, and New England Justice for Our Neighbors, a non-profit that welcomes and supports immigrants. He is active in service and outreach activities with Carter Memorial United Methodist Church in Needham, and serves as the chair of the church's endowment team, which oversees the church's endowment funds.

Kathleen Berner

Secretary

Kathleen is currently the Marketing Lead for Accenture in Boston & Hartford — a role she has held since May 2019.

Previously, Kathleen was the Senior Director of Services Marketing at Staples. She joined Staples in 2010 and held various leadership roles in marketing–driving stores, staples.com and salesforce performance. Prior to Staples, Kathleen started an in-house agency; managed customer service; and implemented an email program for the Upromise College Savings and Loyalty program. She also supported clients at Digitas in the online education, automotive and wireless industries.

Kathleen and her husband live in Needham with their three children. She has volunteered at The Council since 2016 as co-chair of the Annual Holiday Boutique.

In 2010, Kathleen managed fundraising for City of Hope’s Spirit of Life nominee. She currently serves on several committees for the Needham High School PTC and serves on the board of advisors at Research Institute for Learning & Development in Lexington.

Kathleen is a graduate of Tufts University and holds a master’s degree from the Boston College Carroll School of Management.

Lynn Alberding

Vice President

Lynn joined the Board of the Needham Community Council in 2015. Prior to joining the Board, Lynn participated in the Council’s English Language Learners tutor training program and volunteered as a tutor with that program for several years. She worked as a one-on-one tutor, a leader of group classes, and as a program administrator. Lynn developed and taught several literature-based classes for Advanced English learners as well as a Beginners English class for Russian speakers, and formalized a process for matching students and tutors that resulted in hundreds of successful partnerships.

Lynn is the Director of Alumni Relations and Annual Giving at William James College in Newton, MA. Prior to joining William James College, Lynn was the Director of Development at Wondermore, Inc., also in Newton, MA.

Lynn and her husband, Peter, raised three children who attended Needham Public Schools. From 2010 - 2020, Lynn was active volunteer in the Needham Public Schools, most notably with the Mitchell and Pollard PTCs and with the Needham High School Athletic Boosters and the Friends of Music.

Lynn holds a B.A. in Economics from Wesleyan University, and an M.S. in Accounting and an MBA from Northeastern University.

Robert Dermody

President

Robert J. Dermody was born and raised in Needham, MA. After graduating from Needham High School, he attended the University of Massachusetts at Amherst earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering. Robert then pursued a Master of Architecture degree at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign.

Robert is very active in the Needham community as a Town Meeting Member, and with the Exchange Club. He also serves on the Design Review Board, and Community Preservation Committee.

Robert is a Professor of Architecture at Roger Williams University in Bristol Rhode Island, and is a licensed architect in Massachusetts. I

n his spare time, Bob is a volunteer docent with Boston By Foot, and a BayWatcher for the Coalition for Buzzards Bay. His grandmother, Frances K. Dermody, was the first Executive Director of the Needham Community Council, a position she held for 25 years.

Community Volunteer Resources

We are in the process of creating a community wide volunteer resource guide that will allow you and your family to find opportunities to help in Needham. Please check back again soon.