Acton Community Organizations

A newsroom run by its own readers, a land trust, two historic houses kept by volunteers, a food pantry that has been open since 1984, and a television station that carries your Select Board. Every organization on this page takes volunteers, and several of them are how a resident with no title at all ends up in the room.

Local News

Outlet	What they do
The Acton Exchange	A nonprofit newspaper and news site, in its own words “by and for Acton, Massachusetts”. Its stated mission is to provide relevant and accurate news to the Acton community and to encourage civic and community engagement. It covers town government, schools, business, arts, sports and the environment, and it runs letters to the editor, which is a place your writing can appear before you can vote.
Acton TV	Acton’s community access television. It carries Select Board and School Committee meetings live on Comcast channel 99 and Verizon channel 41, and keeps them on demand at actontv.org/on-demand/government, which is the link the town and the school district both point to. It also teaches people to make television.
Acton Patch	Carries Acton reporting alongside a statewide feed, so read the dateline before you assume a story is local.

Community Organizations

Organization	What they do & contact
Acton Food Pantry	Founded in 1984 and committed, in its own words, “to alleviating food insecurity in our area by partnering with the community to provide access to food with care, dignity, and respect.” 21 Maple Street. Check the site for current hours before you go, and for how to volunteer.
Acton Historical Society	An all-volunteer organization “working to discover, preserve, and share the history of Acton, Massachusetts.” Keeps the Hosmer House Museum at 300 Main Street and the Jenks Library, and publishes Acton Stories online. 978-264-0690.
Iron Work Farm in Acton	Chartered in 1964, its mission is “to protect, educate and promote historical preservation and the study of South Acton.” It owns and maintains two buildings older than the town’s own government: the 1707 Faulkner Homestead and the 1732 Jones Tavern.
Acton Conservation Trust	A non-governmental land trust “devoted to the preservation of open space in Acton.” It holds land directly, which means it protects ground the town does not own.
Acton-Boxborough Community Compass	Provides clothing, shoes, personal items and school supplies through its AB Resource Center. Formerly the Acton-Boxborough United Way, and the name changed along with the address.
Discovery Museum	A science and nature museum in Acton built on the belief, in its own words, that “kids are capable of incredible things”, with a STEAM-rich indoor space and an outdoor one.
Acton-Boxborough Community Education	Classes and programs for all ages. It is a program of your own school district rather than an outside organization, and the district lists a Director of Community Education among its leadership.
Acton-Boxborough Farmers Market	A producer-only market, which means the person selling the food is the person who grew or made it.

Town Services You Can Use Today

Some of the work people assume a charity does is done by the town itself, paid for by the budget Town Meeting votes.

Service	Notes
Council on Aging	Outreach and programs for older residents. 978-929-6652.
Recreation Department	Youth and family programs and the town’s parks and fields. Recreation Director Timothy Michalski. 978-929-6640.
Acton Memorial Library and West Acton Citizens’ Library	Both are town departments. The Trustees of the Acton Memorial Library are one of the five offices Acton voters elect at the annual town election, so this is a board you can run for. 978-929-6655.
Veteran Services	Benefits, claims and services for Acton veterans and their families. Veteran Services Officer James MacRae. 978-929-6614.

For current hours and a fuller list, see the town’s own staff directory at actonma.gov.

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