The Eat Out in East Initiative will carry on throughout the wintery months.

By Angelina Parrillo

As the holiday season and winter weather approach, Eat Out in East, the collaborative initiative of Ward 1 City Councilor Matt McLaughlin and East Somerville Main Streets, enters its third successful month.

Launched in September, the initiative began in an effort to stimulate neighborhood business after a sharp increase in Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity in Somerville. Councilor McLaughlin reported in an opinion article published in the Cambridge Day and The Somerville Times this past September, “Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents are out in East Somerville, and the streets are noticeably silent.” He further explained, “The decline in business, as well as tariffs, is negatively impacting our community and tax base. The lack of neighborhood presence on the streets only makes us less safe.”

Hosted every Wednesday from 4 to 8 p.m., Eat Out in East encourages community interaction, specifically by dining at the 24 restaurants in the East Somerville business district, 22 of which are immigrant-owned. Executive Director of East Somerville Main Streets, Lindsay Allen, stated in an interview with the Somerville Times, “We always talk about how these small businesses are the backbone of the community, and they very much are, and they are very much struggling right now.”

With the approach of January and February, known as a particularly challenging time of year for the restaurant industry, Allen hopes to sustain the initiative through winter. She reported positively on the initial months of Eat Out in East, “We’ve seen consistency since September, which we’re excited about, and I think generally, people like it for the fact that it is a community event, and you can volunteer, you can support a small business, or you can just walk around the neighborhood and be in community with each other.”

Also occurring every Wednesday in East Somerville is the Community Meal hosted by Connexion United Methodist Church on 149 Broadway. Each week, free meals are provided at Connexion by a different local restaurant. The event is open for all to join. Volunteers are also encouraged to assist with preparation, distribution, and clean-up after the meal. As the Community Meal and Eat Out in East events happen concurrently, Allen said that many residents take the opportunity to participate in both.

Along with the Community Meal, Connexion also provides several other opportunities to engage with the neighborhood and community members. According to Councilor McLaughlin, “Connexion provides services for those in need, including food, clothing, and other resources. There are many residents there who can connect you to other initiatives to support our local businesses and our neighbors.”

For the future of Eat Out in East Somerville, Allen said that many ideas are in progress to ensure continued foot traffic in the business district. Different food-themed crawls or trails may take place on Wednesdays throughout the winter to keep Eat Out in East an exciting routine for the community. “Life is really busy, and this is something where a little light bulb goes off for folks like, ‘It’s Wednesday, we should go to East,’” said Allen.

Regardless of weekday or season, Allen emphasized that East Somerville businesses rely on the presence of local customers, “Support our small businesses any way you can. Our mission is to keep our main street vibrant and keep our businesses where they are.”