Receptionist is rude, unprofessional. Lobby smells of urine. Very disorganized center.read more

From the owner: The Charles River Center is a nonprofit human service agency with offices in Needham and Natick,…read moreMassachusetts, providing employment and job training, residential homes, day habilitation, and recreational programs for children and adults with Down syndrome, autism, cerebral palsy and other developmental disabilities.

What an amazing place that carbs about the community. Was here for volunteer work and quality…read morematters when it came to separating items for donations. I like that care is put into this organization. Donations that were damaged, stained, smelled, etc were trashed. Just because people get donations doesn't mean the deserve poor quality items. I truly enjoyed volunteering here and would definitely do it again. Please donate any new or gently used goods here. It helps people who need it.

I've volunteered here 3 times in last 4 or so months and it's truly incredible. I need to sign up…read morefor more! You get grouped off to different stations (shoes, big sort, sizing, or building outfits, etc.), and by the end of the two hour shift, the staff is able to summarize everything each station completed. You can see and hear the immediate impact you're making on children at risk of clothing insecurity in the Greater Boston Area. It was super easy signing up online as a volunteer group, and I couldn't recommend it more.

I joined this Y for two main reasons: 1) get a cardiac workout on their ellipticals and do some…read moreweights 2) proximity to where I live. I found this Y to be ideal for the following reasons: a) clean - I noticed frequent wipe down of equipment by staff, b) all equipment were well-maintained and functional, c) equipment always available when I needed them - I usually went during non-peak hours, d) adequate parking, e) friendly staff, f) small but clean mens' locker room, f) affordable monthly rates. They seemed to have hourly aerobic/zumba classes, which appear to be well-populated, although I didn't take any. Membership also allows access to their smaller Great Plain Ave facility that has an indoor pool. For full disclosure, I took a few months off as I was concerned with they dod not have a mandatory mask policy. I reached out to their management, and received a prompt response in the form of a phone call. They were sympathetic to my concerns, and simply following the CoVid guidance from the town of Needham. In summary, this a hidden gem/gym in Needham. If you are not a major league body builder, this is a great place for a workout

Where to start. There is only one weight bench and only one squat rack. If you just need cardio…read morethis is fine. But you will go weeks without seeing anybody under 50. But the clientele won't hesitate to steal your bench or hassle you to work in their meager 5-lb set. In my three years as a member there I only saw one or two people of color, which I don't fault them for but just kind of makes me sad for Needham in general... a gym for a bedroom community of atrophied pushy white retirees. It maybe worth investing in a machine where people can wash their gym jeans shorts, because it is the ex officio gym attire in these parts. On that note, enforcing a gym-appropriate dress code must be a constant challenge for management-- I would support discouraging overly tight clothing to keep that terrible privilege out of the wrong hands. Trust me, you will too. Anyway. I joined another gym so I could feel a little younger.

I went to Gifford because I got a pair of cats from them decades ago without any problems. Times…read morehave changed. Don't bother looking on their website because you might fall in love with a cat that you will likely not get. THEY pick your cat for you based on THEIR idea of which cat will be best for you. And you won't get it soon. Here is a direct quote from an eMail I got from Gifford. "We work by way of a matchmaking process, where we seek information from applicants about what they are looking for (or not looking for) in a cat or cats. Based on that information, and once a person makes it through our approved adopter list (which can be a bit lengthy at times), we review cats in care against the applicant's information and offer meet and greets with 1 or 2 cats or pairs of cats we think fit what a person is looking for. We email you their profiles ahead of time and if you want to meet them, we set up a time and if they don't seem quite right, we would try again based on your feedback about the offered cat(s). We don't currently have appointments where people can come meet multiple cats without working through the matchmaking process. If you are OK proceeding with our matchmaking process . . . ." No, I am not OK with that. Talk about arrogance. They also did not tell me if I was on their "approved adopter list" even tho they did say their interview with my vet went fine. And they only other thing they said about wait time was that kitten season was coming up so I shouldn't have to wait too long. I'll get a pair of kittens elsewhere. :-(

The staff was very friendly and patient while we decided which kittens to adopt. All the cats here…read moreare in a good environment!

There are just so many good things to say about this place that I'm not sure where to start…read more First, it is not a "shelter" in the typical sense of the word, and the staff and guests do not refer to it as a "shelter". They consider themselves a "community", and act as such. There are NO lines for anything at the WLP. The women are served their meals at their tables by volunteers, and their materials are bussed for them once they are done, unless they choose to self-bus. The food. Oh heavens! WLP prides itself on serving nourishing, FRESH food. Each meal will have all nutritional requirements met, and there is always a veggie option. We're not talking canned goods or sandwiches here, folks. No, this is chopped and diced fresh veggies, prime cut meats, the finest ingredients. If you're a good cook and after you've volunteered a few times, they are happy to let you get in the kitchen and help whip up stuff. The resident chef there, Gina, is wonderfully creative in the kitchen (and very nice), and from time to time, other professional chefs from local restaurants come in to put together a meal. The WLP isn't jsut a food place, although that's the highlight of the day. It also provides the women with full time advocacy support to help with finding housing, food, or other services. There is a computer room/resource room that the ladies may use. There is also a nap room where women can go to get sometimes some much needed rest, and also a quiet room for just some peace, solitude, and maybe reading or reflecting. Women are also able to get various toiletries and clothing that they may need. They may do their laundry and take showers. The Program Manager, Heather (also very, very nice and competent) has done a great job of making sure that there are interesting activities for guests if they choose to participate: yoga, painting, field trips, knitting, etc. Since the WLP is run as a "community", the staff are INCREDIBLY patient with the women, and if a guest is being disorderly or breaking a rule, she is not immediately tossed out, but is counseled and given more than one opportunity to redeem herself by correcting her behavior. Throwing someone out is a last option at the WLP. WLP treats its volunteers as the valuable commodity we are. We are appreciated, thanked, and made to feel a part of the "team". Added Perk: They also have really incredible volunteer thank you events! I enjoy volunteering here. I learn something new and meet new people each time I go. I don't have a lot of spare time to volunteer, but when I do, the WLP gets me all the time, every time. It's important to know that this place could not be so great without us- the community at large supporting it through donations, volunteering, contributions, etc. The staff, Regina, Linda, Joanna, Lauren, Linnie, and Cheryl are terrific- go meet them! This is just a wonderful, wonderful place. You will not leave here without your heart being touched in some way.

Just to add to the great review by Adrienne -- The Women's…read moreLunch Place is an amazing community run by dedicated and caring people. I've volunteered there many times, and the experience was wonderful. The staff is as open, kind and welcoming to volunteers as they are to their ladies. The ladies? Wow. Having the opportunity to really get to know some of the women in this community is a real blessing. The WLP is one of my favorite volunteer opportunities. Try it out!

When shopping second hand furniture I value variety, cleanliness (especially no weird odors), and…read moreconvenience-- I think the price point of the store is very reasonable for meeting these criteria. I'm able to compare multiple quality pieces I could actually see myself buying, make sure there's no musty smells, and the workers are super helpful in loading things into my vehicle. I'm always impressed with what I can find! And there's sometimes deals when you can take furniture the same day

Friendly staff, organized & clean store. I dropped off some small items and the staff at the…read moredonation door were also friendly. A big space, lots of nice looking furniture, lamps, and a huge selection of books. I bought 3 books but could have bought many many more. I'm not in the market for upholstered furniture now, but the pieces they had were so nice I'll probably shop here first because the prices can't be beat.

Amazing finds!! Less expensive than savers, and better quality items. Clothing (mostly women's),…read morelinens, dishes, other small houseware items, including art! There's a dollar rack as well as a "collection" rack. Everything from Shein to Tory Burch. Lot's of fun sales too. The staff is super friendly, always a good vibe if you know what I mean. They take cash, cards, phones... Also there's a good loyalty program where you can get stamps for your purchases to use for future discounts. It's a hidden gem in Needham for sure.

Excellent value!!! Friendly staff!!! Clean and organized!! My number one thrift store!!! Highly…read morerecommend!!!

Our assigned psychologist and social worker were very lovely. Our social worker was a unique…read morecombination of being laidback/casual/humorous/humble in our interactions so as to make us comfortable through a rigorous, arduous process vis a vis being impeccably thorough, timely and with substantial knowledge base so as to honor the gravity of the task at hand.

I am in the unique position of going through the adoption process twice - as an adoptee and as an…read moreadoptive parent. The Alliance for Children facilitated my international adoption back in 1982 and they are now the agency I chose to facilitate my current international adoption. The Alliance staff are some of the most committed and compassionate people I know. They were my first choice when my husband and I decided to adopt. From my parents' experience and from my own, adopting internationally is a roller coaster. There are long wait times because of bureaucracy, changing laws, and the fact that unlike other processes, at the end of this one an actual human being is being united with a family. It can be frustrating and difficult but totally worth it in the end. The Alliance has done everything they can to make this process as smooth as it can be and I am very grateful for that. This included facilitating a challenging process in my birth country to obtain a lawyer to find and certify my original birth documents. I have referred friends adopting domestically to the Alliance, too, and they had wonderful experiences with the social workers and the home study process. I would recommend them to anyone.

Very disappointed loaded my snow blower into car and brought to this establishment after hearing…read moretheir ad on BBZ radio, and when I got there they claimed that they don't service Cub Cadet machines! I have a Briggs and Stratton motor just like all their other machines! very discouraging and would not recommend this business!

I needed my snowblower repaired on short notice, and Needham garden center filled my need. They…read morepicked up the snowblower in 2 days, fixed the problem and had it back to me 2 days later. They provided prompt professional service at a reasonable price. Highly recommend!

I have been here twice, first time I went in for a food basket. They gave us plenty of food to take…read morehome. They were very organized and polite. Tonight I went to the dinner, they gave us fruit salad, salad, Fish, carrots and grits and for dessert that was good, everything was good . I would recommend if you need food, encouragement, and a sense of community you visit here , they will make you very comfortable.

From the owner: We serve a free and complete meal every Wednesday at 6:00 p.m. Open to all; no ID checked…read more We also distribute food baskets to residents of Allston and Brighton who are income-eligible. These distributions are on the second and fourth Saturdays of the month from 10:00-1:00, except for November and December. November is the Saturday before Thanksgiving only and December is the second Saturday only. Anyone who has a MassHealth, WIC, or SNAP card is eligible, as well as people with unemployment papers, or a referral letter from Project Bread, a social worker, a health care worker, or a clergyperson.