Greater Lowell Community Foundation awards more than $1M in Emergency Pandemic Funds to Local Nonprofits

Andrea Roche, MAPS Community Health Educator, delivers supplies to the community as part of MAPS’ COVID-19 relief efforts.

LOWELL – The Greater Lowell Community Foundation (GLCF), a philanthropic organization comprised of over 350 funds, announced that it has granted over $1M in emergency funds to community nonprofits since the COVID-19 pandemic began. This rapid response funding has been directed to nonprofits providing crucial assistance to the most vulnerable populations, such as the elderly, low-income and homeless in Greater Lowell.

Grants of $1,064,161 were distributed from the GLCF COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund and the Massachusetts COVID-19 Relief Fund, created to meet the growing need for urgent resources and services. As the pandemic evolves, GLCF is responding to the community by determining immediate critical needs of nonprofits through data collection, such as the recent Greater Lowell Nonprofit Needs during COVID-19 survey.

“Data shows that Greater Lowell nonprofits on the front lines of the COVID-19 response are experiencing both an increase in demand for services and a decline in revenues due to canceled fundraisers, closed doors, and decreased donations,” said GLCF President & CEO Jay Linnehan.  “The GLCF COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund is fortunate to have the support of many generous donors and partners who are invested in maintaining the nonprofits, the heart of our communities, through this crisis.”

“Grant funding from the Greater Lowell Community Foundation and the Massachusetts COVID-19 Relief Fund is helping us keep older adults safely in their homes during the pandemic,” said Kelly Magee Wright, Executive Director of Minuteman Senior Services, a recent grant recipient. “In addition to our daily Meals on Wheels delivery of a hot lunch, we are delivering seven-day frozen meal packs and grocery store gift cards to seniors at risk of food insecurity.”

To date, all 20 GLCF communities served: Ashby, Ayer, Bedford, Billerica, Burlington, Carlisle, Chelmsford, Concord, Dracut, Dunstable, Groton, Lowell, Littleton, Pepperell, Shirley, Tewksbury, Townsend, Tyngsboro, Westford, Wilmington have received grant support from the GLCF COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund.

The nonprofits receiving grants in the latest round of the Massachusetts COVID-19 Relief Fund are:

  • Asian Task Force Against Domestic Violence, Inc. (ATASK) – addressing food insecurity, basic needs and emergency shelter for pan-Asian survivors of domestic and intimate partner violence for Greater Lowell
  • Boys & Girls Club of Greater Lowell – family care packages
  • The Center for Hope and Healing, Inc. – mobile services and resources for abuse survivors
  • Coalition for a Better Acre, Inc. – Supported Training and Education Program (STEP) and job placement for clients
  • Elder Services of the Merrimack Valley, Inc. – elder food insecurity
  • Eliot Presbyterian Church – day programming for the homeless population
  • Lowell Community Health Center, Inc. – deploy an emergency COVID community response coordinator to address social determinants of health among patients affected by the pandemic
  • Massachusetts Alliance of Portuguese Speakers (MAPS) – addressing food insecurity, essential supplies and PPE
  • The Minute Man Arc for Human Services, Inc. – hazard pay for essential staff
  • Minuteman Senior Services – elder food insecurity
  • UTEC, Inc. – providing essential supplies per week to impoverished young adults’ homes
  • The Wish Project, Inc. – additional staffing and transportation to support new service model during the pandemic

The grants are thanks to funding from the Massachusetts COVID-19 Relief Fund. The Massachusetts COVID-19 Relief Fund works in concert with regional community foundations and nonprofit leaders to support those across the state most impacted by the COVID-19 health crisis, focusing on essential frontline workers and vulnerable populations including the homeless, immigrant populations, people with disabilities and those facing food insecurity. For more information, visit MACovid19ReliefFund.org.

“We are grateful for this crucial funding from the Massachusetts COVID-19 Relief Fund/Greater Lowell Community Foundation for the Health Center’s Emergency COVID Response Team, to assure that those in our culturally and ethnically diverse community most impacted by health disparities have the information and support they need during this crisis,” said Susan West Levine, CEO, Lowell Community Health Center. “This grant will support our work to provide translated social media posts, emails, and other materials that are culturally appropriate, provide reassurance, and offer simple guidelines for those affected by this crisis.”

Coalition for a Better Acre, Inc. STEP graduate, Carlos, speaks about his experience and how STEP has prepared him to re-enter the workforce. The STEP program received a recent Massachusetts COVID-19 Relief Fund grant through GLCF.

The nonprofits receiving grants in this latest round of the GLCF COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund are:

  • Wilmington Community Fund – support the Wilmington pantry in supplying food products
  • Townsend Senior Center/Council on Aging – cover the cost of weekly groceries to vulnerable populations for six weeks
  • Asian Task Force Against Domestic Violence – Lowell Asian Initiative Against DV essential support for clients
  • Minute Man Arc for Human Services, Inc. – the cost of Personal Protective Equipment and antibacterial supplies
  • Lifting Lowellians Assistance and Mutual Aid (LLAMA) – providing supplies from local ethnic markets to affirm the cultural and religious needs in Lowell
  • The North East Educational and Developmental Supports Center, Inc. – purchase of PPE to continue caring for individuals with disabilities in their homes
  • South Sudanese Enrichment for Families – support housing expenses for SSEF families during this crisis which includes families in Lowell, Westford, Pepperell, and Littleton.
  • Latinx Community Center for Empowerment (LCCE) – support the creation of a guide that includes all of Lowell’s resources in Spanish and translating the new information that comes from the City of Lowell
  • On The Move, Inc. – purchase of books for two shelters in Lowell for the children living in these homes
  • Dracut Council on Aging and Friends of the Dracut Elderly – purchase of 100 “take home kits” for Seniors in Dracut
  • New England Paralyzed Veterans of America – support transportation and food distribution to disabled veterans living in Greater Lowell
  • Able to Serve – basic food and personal hygiene items for clients
  • People Helping People, Inc. – Burlington Food Pantry improvements

“Minute Man Arc improves the lives of 850 people with disabilities in eastern Massachusetts,” said Jean A. Goldsberry, CEO, Minute Man Arc. “With financial help from GLCF, we are protecting the most vulnerable clients who live in our group homes and we are able to compensate these staff with extra pay for the extra risks they are taking to ensure people’s health and wellbeing.”

Donations to the GLCF COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund can be made online at www.glcfoundation.org or by mail to the GLCF COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund c/o GLCF, 100 Merrimack Street, Suite 202, Lowell, MA 01852.

A meals on wheels volunteer, from Elder Services of the Merrimack Valley and North Shore, prepares to deliver hot lunches in the Merrimack Valley during the pandemic.