8-Year-Old's Seashell Sale Benefits Needham Community Council

Young Brendan Mawhinney's seashell sale raised $105 for the Needham Community Coucil.

After school Friday, he and his mother Christine stopped by the Council to deliver his donation in person He was treated to a tour of the food pantry and its operations.

Mawhinney told Patch last week about her 8-your-old son, who recently started decorating and selling seashells outside of his home. He had collected sea shells over the years, and decided to decorate and sell them at a stand outside of his Jarvis Circle home. 

When he came in with his donation and one of his decorated shells, he was given a guided tour of the Council's operations. Volunteer Sue Riasizzo showed him around the food pantry. The pantry area had been reorganized to resemble a grocery store. 

The Community Council helps 200 Needham families on a regular basis. The food comes from Needham residents, and the Pantry is staffed by volunteers. Even the large refrigerators were a donation, from the Needham Roche Bros. location. 

October 7, the Council will change to a new format for the food pantry. Where they have been giving clients a shopping list with items, they will begin bringing clients to shop in the newly organized grocery store-style pantry area. 

Executive Director Sandra Robinson told us that these types of donations are becoming more common. A number of kids in Needham have started asking friends to bring food pantry donations to their birthday party, in lieu of gifts.

The Council has a wish list of items they need on their homepage. One of their senior supporters also recently asked for donations of cooking oil, an item the Council always needs. 

Shoppers at the Council's Thrift Store are also helping fund the operations at their Hillside Avenue location. 

The visit made Brendan more passionate about helping, his mother told us. Since the story last Wednesday, Mawhinney tells us Brendan has already raised another $9.