Traveling Meals Revolving Fund Seeks Potential Refresh

September 24, 2026
• The program, supporting community members who can otherwise not access grocery stores or prepare meals themselves, aims to expand its impact with a name change.

For several decades, Needham Health and Human Services has operated the Traveling Meals Program, which has delivered more than 10,000 meals in FY26 in partnership with Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital–Needham. A revolving fund, under the same name, supports to the program. However, that name also restricts the department in how it is able to use those funds.

To mitigate this issue, Director of Health and Human Services Timothy McDonald is requesting that the revolving fund’s name be changed through a warrant article at the Oct. 19 Special Town Meeting. He presented those plans to the Select Board at its meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 22.

The HHS was successful in a very similar initiative during the Annual Town Meeting this past May. Through that change, the Immunization Program Revolving Fund became the Public Health Services Program Revolving Fund. As a result, the HHS was able to broaden the fund’s scope to cover costs related to disease testing, life-saving trainings and more.

McDonald said he hopes renaming the Traveling Meals Revolving Fund will have a similar effect.

This story ran as part of the Needham Channel News, a weekly newscast airing on The Needham Channel every Thursday at 7:30pm. The Needham Channel News can be found on the Community Channel: Comcast 9, Astound 15 and Verizon 29. Most Thursdays it also can be viewed on our HD Channel on Verizon 2129, Astound 613 and streaming on this site.