Axios Boston

June 09, 2025
Welcome back to Monday.
πΆβπ«οΈ Cloudy, slight chance of showers, 64Β°/57Β°
Situational awareness: There's no Blue Line service between Government Center and Orient Heights all week for maintenance. Shuttle buses will serve all stops but Bowdoin.
- But the East Boston ferry is free until the line reopens next Monday.
π Happy birthday to Axios Boston member Mary Jo Murphy!
Today's newsletter is 884 words β a 3 minute read.
1 big thing: Nutrition lifeline threatens by food cuts
Three major food suppliers have closed down this year and eliminated 50,000 pounds of annual donations to local food recovery programs.
Why it matters: Food pantries and community centers that serve vulnerable populations are facing reduced variety and volume of fresh foods.
- Some families now need to visit multiple locations each week to get what they need.
State of play: Historically high food prices, an uncertain economic outlook, and difficulties with funding have led several organizations that regularly donated surplus food to close down.
- Community nonprofit grocer Daily Table is the most notable, closing all four locations β in Salem, Dorchester, Roxbury and Cambridge β after losing federal funding.
What they're saying: "We're seeing just as many people β up to a third of the population here in Massachusetts β facing food insecurity, but steadily less food and less money going into the overall food security ecosystem," Tim Cavaretta, director of operations at nonprofit distributor Food For Free, told Axios.
Zoom in: The disruption is straining an already-stretched emergency food network in and around Boston.
- The closure of Daily Table last month took around 20,000 pounds of food out of Food for Free's system annually.
- Freight Farms, a local startup that converted shipping containers into hydroponic farms, also shut down in May, taking 10,000 pounds of fresh greens with it.
- Fresh produce delivery service Boston Organics distributed about 20,000 pounds of produce annually. It shut down in February.
- Outside Boston, Worcester programs were hit hard by the closure of the Shrewsbury Stop & Shop location that regularly donated to charity programs.
The big picture: The closures come as federal nutrition support is contracting. USDA food distributions to Boston-area food banks dropped by over $3 million this year.
- $2.3 million of the canceled food was set to go to the Greater Boston Food Bank. That's around 105,000 cases of produce, protein and dairy.
- Meanwhile, anticipated cuts to SNAP benefits threaten to increase demand on outside programs like food banks.
What's next: Organizations are looking for new grocery stores and distributors to team with to replace lost suppliers, focusing mostly on fresh produce and protein donations.
2. π New late-night eats
Food trucks will start serving late-night eats across seven neighborhoods in Boston starting next weekend.
Why it matters: The move aims to boost the city's nightlife scene, bringing food options to different neighborhoods as late as 3am.
Driving the news: The vendors, who selected their stations through a lottery on Friday, can set up shop as early as June 13, said Corean Reynolds, the city's director of nightlife economy.
- The vendors range from Cousins Maine Lobster to Rhode Island-based Matilda Empanada to Dorchester-based Murl's Kitchen.
- They chose select nights across seven spots: the Theater District, Fenway, Faneuil Hall, the Roadrunner in Brighton, Boylston and Clarendon streets in the Back Bay, Northeastern University and Boston Medical Center.
- Here's when and where to find late-night food trucks.
Theater District at Tufts Medical Center at 135 Stuart Street, 8pmβ3am
- Friday: Boss Town
- Saturday: Extreme Flavor
Fenway Entertainment District at 163 Ipswich Street, 10pmβ3am
- Friday: Cool Shade
- Saturday: Cousins Maine Lobster
Faneuil Hall to the right of Quincy Market, 10pmβ3am
- Thursday: Murl's Kitchen
- Friday: Augusta's Chicken on the Road
- Saturday: The Dog Kart
The Roadrunner at 89 Guest Street, 8pmβ2am
- Concert days: Sunset Cantina
3. π BTMU: Testing the student ban
β Mass. unions are organizing a rally today protesting ICE raids in Los Angeles and the detention of an SEIU leader. (Universal Hub)
βοΈ A Harvard postdoc's visa was denied under President Trump's international student ban, allegedly violating a temporary restraining order that froze the policy last week. (The Harvard Crimson)
π Ten suspected botulism cases are under investigation, linked to Botox injections at a spa in Milton. (NBC Boston)
ICYMI: ποΈ A Plymouth County judge ruled the MBTA Communities housing law is not an unfunded mandate. (CommonWealth Beacon)
- Eight towns had sought to halt enforcement of the law requiring multifamily housing zones near transit.
- Costs to towns are "indirect" and don't require specific state funding, per the ruling.
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We're grateful for your trust and continued readership.
4. π£οΈ Portuguese is Massachusetts' third language


5. π€ Sound off: Summer weather
What kind of summer weather would you rather have β sticky hot heat or a drenching downpour?
Vote here to tell us what you think
6. π Social Calendar
Monday, 6/9
π€ Wu-Tang Clan & Nas at TD Garden β 8pm
- Hip-hop legends unite in a co-headlining concert with full sets from both acts.
Tuesday, 6/10
πΆ Paul Simon at the Boch Center β 7:30pm
- A retrospective performance blends storytelling with classic tracks from one of the 20th century's great lyricists.
- He's playing Thursday and Friday as well.
Wednesday, 6/11
π¬ Dogma: Resurrected β 25th Anniversary at Alamo Drafthouse β 7pm
- Kevin Smith's cult comedy is back on the big screen all week restored and unrated.
All week
πΌοΈ Check out John Wilson: Witnessing Humanity at the MFA before it closes June 22.
- Explore rarely seen drawings and prints chronicling Black life in America.
Deehan can't take another rained-out Saturday.
Steph loved seeing the latest round of Bad Art Museum picks at Dorchester Brewing Co. this weekend.
This newsletter was edited by Kristen Hinman.
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