Local community foundations award more than $181,000 to advance Nashoba Valley health

Living Water Fellowship in Ayer received a $5,000 grant from the Nashoba Valley Healthcare Fund for Stone Soup Kitchen. Stone Soup Kitchen team packing food before the pantry opens to clients.

Lowell, MA – The Greater Lowell Community Foundation and the Community Foundation of North Central Massachusetts recently awarded $181,211 in grants to 16 local nonprofits from the Nashoba Valley Healthcare Fund to help improve residents’ health in area communities.  

Priority was given to proposals pertaining to prevention of health problems, access to healthcare, elder, youth, and adolescent health, mental health, and health care service provision. Recipients of the grants were selected by the Nashoba Valley Community Healthcare Fund Advisory Committee, comprised of local leaders in business, health care, and education.

“The Nashoba Valley Healthcare Fund provides impactful grants,” said Jay Linnehan, president and CEO of the Greater Lowell Community Foundation. “We greatly appreciate the hard work and diligence of the volunteer advisory committee in prioritizing the health needs of residents in our local communities.”

“The Nashoba Valley Community Healthcare Fund plays an important role in the quality of life in our region,” said Stephen Adams, president of the CFNCM. “We were impressed by the caliber of the applicants and are pleased to be able to support their efforts across areas including food insecurity, healthcare access, shelter, mental health services, and more.”

Nashoba Valley Healthcare Grant Recipients

  • Able to Serve-New England, Inc (Lowell): Hope for Women with Children in Nashoba Valley – $1,500
  • Advocates (Framingham): Supporting the Mental Health Needs of Local Seniors – $20,000
  • Ashby Fire and EMS (Town of Ashby): Improvement of provider training and skill maintenance in rural EMS system – $6,313
  • Boys & Girls Club of Lunenburg (Lunenburg): BGCL After-school (Covid) Program – $10,000
  • Clear Path for Veterans New England (Devens): Brain Retrain Neural Mapping, an Integrated Health and Wellness Program for Veterans – $20,000
  • Doctor Franklin Perkins School (Lancaster): Perkins Behavioral Health Services in the Nashoba Valley – $15,000
  • Habitat for Humanity North Central Massachusetts, Inc (Acton): Critical Home Repair Program Supporting Economically Distressed Families from Nashoba Valley – $20,000
  • Habitat for Humanity of Greater Lowell (Westford): Critical home repair program for seniors. – $10,000
  • Littleton Community Farm (Littleton): Growing for Expanded Hunger Relief – $9,598
  • Living Water Fellowship (Ayer): Stone Soup Kitchen Ministries – $5,000
  • North Star Family Services, Inc. (Leominster): North Star – Family and Children Wellness Initiative -$20,000
  • Our Father’s House (Fitchburg): Ensuring Health Wellness in Homeless Children – $16,000
  • Townsend Ecumenical Outreach (Townsend): Healthy Food For Vulnerable Populations – $7,800
  • United Methodist Action Reach out in Mission by Youth: Elder Services Home Repairs in Westford, Chelmsford and Groton – $5,000 
  • Virginia Thurston Healing Garden, Inc. (Harvard): Equitable Access to Psychosocial Therapeutic Services for Cancer Patients, Families & Caregivers – $10,000
  • VNA Care Network, Inc. (Lowell): Removing Barriers to Health: Nursing and Social Work Case Management – $5,000

The Nashoba Valley Healthcare Fund provides annual distributions to nonprofit organizations, municipalities, and other agencies to advance the health of residents in 13 communities: Ashby, Ayer, Bolton, Dunstable, Groton, Harvard, Lancaster, Littleton, Lunenburg, Pepperell, Shirley, Townsend, and Westford. 

For more information on the Greater Lowell Community Foundation, please visit www.glcfoundation.org. 

About Greater Lowell Community Foundation
The Greater Lowell Community Foundation (GLCF), founded in 1997, is a philanthropic organization comprised of over 350 funds, currently totaling over $50MM, which is dedicated to improving the quality of life in 20 neighboring cities and towns. The Community Foundation annually awards grants and scholarships to hundreds of worthy nonprofits and students. It is powered by the winning combination of donor-directed giving, personal attention from its staff, and an in-depth understanding of local needs. The generosity of our donors has enabled GLCF to award more than $25 million to the Greater Lowell community.

About Community Foundation of North Central Massachusetts
The Community Foundation of North Central Massachusetts was created in 2001 to serve the charitable interests of donors in Ashburnham, Ashby, Athol, Ayer, Barre, Bolton, Clinton, Devens, Erving, Fitchburg, Gardner, Groton, Harvard, Hubbardston, Lancaster, Leominster, Littleton, Lunenburg, New Salem, Orange, Pepperell, Petersham, Phillipston, Princeton, Royalston, Shirley, Sterling, Templeton, Townsend, Warwick, Wendell, Westminster and Winchendon. For more information, visit cfncm.org.

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Greater Lowell Community Foundation awards record $152,500 in community grants to 30 local nonprofits

Right to Left: Catie’s Closet, Inc. is a 2020 Discretionary Children’s Grant recipient to support their Lowell program. Catie’s Closet volunteers with special request bags packed with urgently needed items for children. OARS, Inc.’s volunteer citizen scientist collects water samples in Lowell stream. OARS, Inc. received a 2020 Discretionary Water Resources Initiative Grant $5,000 grant to improve environmental and public health.                       

Lowell, MA – The Greater Lowell Community Foundation (GLCF) awarded $152,500 in competitive grants to 30 local nonprofits within a framework of Children’s Services, Elder Services, Racial Equity and Inclusion, as well as Water Resources initiatives. The focus areas collectively work toward creating a better quality of life for Greater Lowell residents and supporting local nonprofits.

These grant awards are part of a competitive grant process in which nonprofit organizations apply for funds, and an independent committee reviews the proposals and selects awardees. The Discretionary Grants Program is one of several competitive grant programs offered through the Community Foundation each year. 

“The Foundation awarded a record number of discretionary grants in this cycle to support the important work of our local nonprofits,” said GLCF President and CEO Jay Linnehan. “Through generous contributions from our community, GLCF can provide critical support that allows our community to thrive and grow.”

Catie’s Closet, of Dracut, received a Children’s Services Grant to assist supplying clothing and toiletries through their ‘stores’ for students in need.“Receiving this grant award means that we are able to provide our homeless students with the clothing and basic necessities they need,” said Mickey Cockrell, CEO & Co-founder of Catie’s Closet.

The Cambodian American Literary Arts Association (Lowell) received a programming grant to address racial equity and inclusion. “The leadership team at the Cambodian American Literary Arts Association is grateful for the opportunity to host our community dialogues and workshops addressing racial equity and inclusion. These are profound topics that affect our everyday lives,” said Lena Sarunn, Executive Director of Cambodian American Literary Arts Association.

OARS, Inc. (Concord) received a $5,000 grant to improve environmental and public health. “This grant from GLCF will make it possible to track down and work to eliminate the sources of bacteria in a polluted stream that runs through a Lowell community,” said Alison Field-Juma, Executive Director, OARS: For the Assabet, Sudbury, and Concord Rivers. “Eliminating this pollution will allow the community to enjoy a healthy waterway with a clean green open space! Local volunteer citizen scientists learn about water quality while also helping to collect the valuable data.”

2020 Discretionary Grants

Children’s Services Grant:   

  • Catie’s Closet, Inc. (Dracut): Catie’s Closet Next Steps Meeting the Needs of the Lowell Community – $5,000 
  • Mission of Deeds (Reading): Beds for Kids – $5,000 
  • Raising A Reader Massachusetts (Boston): Raising A Reader Massachusetts (RAR-MA) Lowell – $2,500 
  • Reach Out and Read (Boston): Lowell Rx for Success – $2,500 
  • Rise Above Foundation, Inc. (Northbridge): Activities for Youth in Foster Care – $2,500           

Leclair Elder Services Grant: 

  • Clear Path for Veterans New England (Devens): A Happy and Healthy Path to Veteran Wellbeing – $5,500 
  • Gaining Ground, Inc. (Concord): Growing Fresh Food for Hunger Relief with Community Volunteers – $1,000 
  • Habitat for Humanity of Greater Lowell (Westford): Critical home repairs for elders – $5,000 
  • Habitat for Humanity North Central Massachusetts, Inc (Acton): Aging in Place: Improving Health, Achieving Financial Stability, and Increased Socialization – $5,500 
  • Lowell Association for the Blind (Lowell): Adult Services Program – $1,000
  • Massachusetts Alliance of Portuguese Speakers (MAPS) (Lowell): Lowell Immigrant & Elder Services Program – $2,000 
  • Open Pantry of Greater Lowell (Lowell): Food Pantry – $5,500 
  • Power of Flowers Project (Tewksbury): Power of Flowers Project – $1,500 
  • Project Citizenship (Boston): Citizenship Services for Older Residents in Greater Lowell – $1,500 
  • Lowell General Hospital (Lowell): Lowell General Hospital (LGH) Mobile Integrated Health (MIH) Program – $5,500 
  • Virginia Thurston Healing Garden, Inc. (Harvard): Language Services Supporting Psychosocial Care for Elderly Cancer Patients – $1,500 

Racial Equity and Inclusion:  

  • Boys & Girls Club of Greater Lowell (Lowell): Addressing Racial Inequities as a Trauma-Informed Community – $10,000 
  • Budget Buddies, Inc. (Chelmsford): Virtual Financial Empowerment Program for Women with Latinx Community Center for Empowerment – $7,500
  • Building Audacity (Lynn): Say Their Names (in Greater Lowell) – $10,000
  • Cambodian American Literary Arts Association (Lowell): Cambodian American Literary Arts Association Community Dialogue and Workshop Series – $13,000
  • Cultivate Care Farms (Bolton – serves Greater Lowell): Diversity Training and Consultation – $1,000
  • Free Soil Arts Collective (Lowell): Hidden in Plain Sight: Stories of Black Lowell – $15,000
  • Kids in Tech, Inc. (Lowell): Afterschool Tech Club Program – $10,000
  • Merrimack Valley Housing Partnership (Lowell): Project Genesis Home Buyer Training Program – $7,000 
  • Project LEARN, Inc. (Lowell): Elevating Stories, Changing Narratives – A Student-Led Antiracism Program – $10,000 
  • Tewksbury Public Library (Tewksbury): Public Library Libraries Working Towards Social Justice – $1,000

Water Resources Initiative Grant:   

  • Mass Audubon (Lincoln): Lowell Leaders in Stewardship TREES program – $2,500.00 
  • Merrimack River Watershed Council (Lawrence): Clean Water for residents of Greater Lowell- a Community-Based Approach – $5,000.00 
  • Nashua River Watershed Association (Pepperell): Water Quality Monitoring for Improved Recreation and Aquatic Weed Control – $2,500.00 
  • OARS, Inc. (Concord): Improving environmental and public health: Source tracking bacteria pollution in Lowell waters $5,000.00                 

For more information on the Greater Lowell Community Foundation, visit www.glcfoundation.org. 

About Greater Lowell Community Foundation

The Greater Lowell Community Foundation (GLCF), founded in 1997, is a philanthropic organization comprised of over 350 funds, currently totaling over $50MM, dedicated to improving the quality of life in 20 neighboring cities and towns. The Community Foundation annually awards grants and scholarships to hundreds of worthy nonprofits and students. GLCF is powered by the winning combination of donor-directed giving, personal attention from its staff, and an in-depth understanding of local needs. Our donors’ generosity has enabled GLCF to award more than $25 million to the Greater Lowell community.

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GLCF tackles barriers to food in latest COVID-19 Response Grants

From left to right: The Cameron Senior Center in Westford received a GLCF COVID 19 grant to provide Westford’s most vulnerable residents with a mobile meal option; Tom Healy of Lowell has volunteered for Merrimack Valley Food Bank for a decade to deliver to homebound neighbors monthly; and Open Table’s Carol Straney and Carolyn McQueen prepare healthy curried vegetable stew – all ready to be frozen for clients to reheat and eat. 

LOWELL – The Greater Lowell Community Foundation (GLCF) announced it deployed a new round of COVID-19 related grants, providing an additional $72,000 to seven area nonprofits in Greater Lowell addressing mobile pantry and food delivery needs. These grants were part of the latest round of distributions from the GLCF COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund.

GLCF connected with local nonprofits addressing barriers to food imposed by lack of mobility and transportation. This barrier to food is particularly prevalent among seniors, the disabled, quarantined, and low income. The organizations selected have continued to meet an unprecedented spike in demand for access to food amid the coronavirus crisis.

“Mobile food pantries and delivery programs remove location as a barrier to access for food,” said GLCF president & CEO Jay Linnehan. “GLCF recognizes the unprecedented need to address the food security implications and fund creative solutions to get food to residents.”

According to a recent report released by Feeding America in October 2020, Massachusetts has the highest projected rate percent change in food insecurity  between 2018 and 2020 at 59 percent. Greater Lowell nonprofits addressing food insecurity report a record increase in the number of people needing assistance, with an average increase of 55% more demand than before the pandemic. Feeding America has found that roughly 4 in 10 people visiting food banks had not received food assistance before the pandemic. 

Among the organizations funded was The Cameron Senior Center in Westford. “The Cameron Senior Center is fortunate to be awarded a grant from the Greater Lowell Community Foundation-COVID 19 funding round,” said Jennifer Claro, Westford Council on Aging Director. “These funds will provide our most vulnerable residents with a mobile meal option with food partnerships which include Open Table (Maynard) and UTEC’s MADD Love Meals (Lowell.) This effort will be coordinated with our Westford and Chelmsford Housing Authority Directors and the Westford Food Pantry. We are thrilled to bring this exciting collaborative mobile meal option to Westford.” 

Additionally, Open Table was awarded $15,000 to support Greater Lowell mobile outreach support. “Recently, Open Table received a generous grant from the GLCF COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund. It will support getting 100s of prepared and healthy meals to families that have been hit hard by the financial hardships brought on by the pandemic,” said Open Table’s Executive Director Jeanine Calabria. “We are so pleased to have the funding to support our mobile meals coordinator position. It was the final piece needed to ensure the success of our expanded prepared meals delivery program.” 

The seven nonprofits receiving these grants serve more than 5,000 food insecure individuals who cannot access food due to mobility or access in 19 GLCF communities beyond Lowell. These grants were made possible by an anonymous donor grant that partnered with the GLCF to distribute funding to area nonprofits battling hunger in Greater Lowell.  

The seven nonprofits receiving grants in the latest round of the GLCF COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund to address food insecurity are:

  • Carlisle Council on Aging – Mobile Outreach/Delivery of Meals to Vulnerable Residents – $5,000
  • Catie’s Closet, Inc. – COVID mobile outreach/gift cards – $3,000
  • Gaining Ground, Inc. – COVID-Mobile Outreach/Delivery of Fresh Produce to Those in Need – $25,000
  • Merrimack Valley Food Bank, Inc. – COVID  mobile pantry support – $18,000
  • Open Table – Mobile Meals Coordinator – $15,000
  • People Helping People, Inc. – COVID  mobile outreach/delivery – $3,000
  • Westford Council on Aging/Cameron Senior Center – COVID mobile outreach/delivery – $3,000

The Merrimack Valley Food Bank received a grant for the Mobile Pantry to provide nutritional support to the elderly and/or disabled. “This grant will allow us to continue serving our neighbors beyond Lowell, in the cities and towns we serve through our Mobile Pantry,” said Amy Pessia, Merrimack Valley Food Bank’s Executive Director. “Additionally, we will be able to serve even more people who are referred by community agencies/partners, who are isolating/quarantining due to COVID.”

Since March, through grants from its GLCF COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund and the Massachusetts COVID Relief Fund, the foundation has supported 115 local nonprofit organizations with 229 grants totaling over $2,825,756.

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. 

About Greater Lowell Community Foundation

The Greater Lowell Community Foundation (GLCF), founded in 1997, is a philanthropic organization comprised of over 350 funds, currently totaling over $50MM, dedicated to improving the quality of life in 20 neighboring cities and towns. The Community Foundation annually awards grants and scholarships to hundreds of worthy nonprofits and students. GLCF is powered by the winning combination of donor-directed giving, personal attention from its staff, and an in-depth understanding of local needs. Our donors’ generosity has enabled GLCF to award more than $25 million to the Greater Lowell community.

Greater Lowell Community Foundation announces Racial Equity and Inclusion Grants

Lowell, MA – The Greater Lowell Community Foundation (GLCF) announces 10 Racial Equity and Inclusion Grants totaling $84,500 to local nonprofits as part of the 2020 Discretionary Grants Program. These grants collectively work toward creating a better quality of life for all Greater Lowell residents and supporting local nonprofits providing essential programs and services. 

Free Soil Arts Collective (Lowell) received a 2020 Discretionary Racial Equity and Inclusion Grant to support Hidden in Plain Sight: Stories of Black Lowell, an interview-based documentary theatre piece. Free Soil Arts Collective Founder Christa Brown, on the left, with Kesiah Bascom at a production of Hair Tales. 

The Foundation awarded multiple grants of up to $15,000 that focused on racial equity and inclusion. The grant funding focused on one or more of the following goals:

  • Increase understanding of our community’s challenges with racial equity and race relations.
  • Provide access to stories and diverse perspectives on the lived experience of racial inequity in Greater Lowell.
  • Strengthen relationships among Greater Lowell residents, particularly across racial and ethnic groups.
  • Increase awareness of resources and best practices related to advancing racial equity.

“GLCF is focusing on racial equity in grantmaking, and through this grant cycle, the foundation funded 10 racial equity and inclusion grant requests,” said GLCF President and CEO Jay Linnehan. “We have made a multi-year commitment to address social justice in Greater Lowell – it is an investment in our community.”

Among the organizations funded was Free Soil Arts Collective, an arts organization based in Lowell, with a mission to amplify and strengthen the voices of artists of color. They received a $15,000 grant for Hidden in Plain Sight: Stories of Black Lowell, an interview-based documentary theatre piece. “Being Black in Lowell is rarely talked about or lifted in our community discourse,” shared Christa Brown, founder of Free Soil Arts Collective. “This project is needed, particularly now during the world’s renewed focus on racism and racial justice. We look forward to connecting with Black Lowellians far and wide.”

Budget Buddies, in Chelmsford, was awarded $7,500 a 2020 Discretionary Racial Equity and Inclusion Grant to support a Virtual Financial Empowerment Program for Women with Latinx Community Center for Empowerment

Additionally, Budget Buddies, in Chelmsford, was awarded $7,500 to support a Virtual Financial Empowerment Program for Women with Latinx Community Center for Empowerment. “The mission of Budget Buddies is to see all women achieve financial empowerment, but the pandemic has shown us how much greater the challenges can be for women of color. Job loss and increased caregiving responsibilities have disproportionately impacted Black and Latinx women in the past year,” said Danielle Piskadlo, Executive Director of Budget Buddies. “We’re grateful that the Greater Lowell Community Foundation has recognized these disparities and is partnering with us in their effort to build a more fair and just community for all.” 

Lowell’s Project LEARN, Inc. received a grant of $10,000 for Elevating Stories, Changing Narratives – A Student-Led Antiracism Program. “The GLCF Racial Equity & Inclusion grant is the momentum we need in efforts to build on our student’s stories to shape a school-community dialogue around values of inclusion, belonging, and antiracism,” said LZ Nunn, Executive Director of Project LEARN. “Project LEARN is excited to co-create this program with our youth leaders. This grant will allow us to engage over 300 Lowell High School students, educators, and staff in these crucial conversations to promote equity, access and expanding opportunities for students of all backgrounds, cultures, and abilities.” 

2020 Discretionary Racial Equity and Inclusion Grants:  

  • Boys & Girls Club of Greater Lowell (Lowell): Addressing Racial Inequities as a Trauma-Informed Community – $10,000 
  • Budget Buddies, Inc. (Chelmsford): Virtual Financial Empowerment Program for Women with Latinx Community Center for Empowerment – $7,500
  • Building Audacity (Lynn): Say Their Names (in Greater Lowell) – $10,000
  • Cambodian American Literary Arts Association (Lowell): Cambodian American Literary Arts Association Community Dialogue and Workshop Series – $13,000
  • Cultivate Care Farms (Bolton – serves Greater Lowell): Diversity Training and Consultation – $1,000
  • Free Soil Arts Collective (Lowell): Hidden in Plain Sight: Stories of Black Lowell – $15,000
  • Kids in Tech, Inc. (Lowell): Afterschool Tech Club Program – $10,000
  • Merrimack Valley Housing Partnership (Lowell): Project Genesis Home Buyer Training Program – $7,000 
  • Project LEARN, Inc. (Lowell): Elevating Stories, Changing Narratives – A Student-Led Antiracism Program – $10,000 
  • Tewksbury Public Library (Tewksbury): Public Library Libraries Working Towards Social Justice – $1,000

Through the 2020 Discretionary Grants Program, GLCF awarded a total of $152,500 in competitive grants to 30 local nonprofits within the categories of Racial Equity and Inclusion, Children’s Services, Elder Services, and Water Resources initiatives as part of its 2020 Discretionary Grants Program. These grant awards are part of a competitive grant process in which nonprofit organizations apply for funds, and an independent committee reviews the proposals and selects awardees. The Discretionary Grants Program is one of several competitive grant programs offered through the Community Foundation each year. 

For more information on the Greater Lowell Community Foundation, visit www.glcfoundation.org. 

About Greater Lowell Community Foundation

The Greater Lowell Community Foundation (GLCF), founded in 1997, is a philanthropic organization comprised of over 350 funds, currently totaling over $50MM, dedicated to improving the quality of life in 20 neighboring cities and towns. The Community Foundation annually awards grants and scholarships to hundreds of worthy nonprofits and students. GLCF is powered by the winning combination of donor-directed giving, personal attention from its staff, and an in-depth understanding of local needs. Our donors’ generosity has enabled GLCF to award more than $25 million to the Greater Lowell community.

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GLCF Receives $50K Grant from the Theodore Edson Parker Foundation for Lowell COVID-19 Support

Open Pantry of Greater Lowell volunteer coordinator Deb Martell and volunteers work to meet increased client demand. The pantry has received several grants from the GLCF COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund to help address these growing needs.

The Greater Lowell Community Foundation (GLCF) announced today that it had received a $50,000 grant from the Theodore Edson Parker Foundation. The grant will support the GLCF COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund, specifically to be distributed to nonprofits serving Lowell’s vulnerable populations. 

“We are truly grateful to the Theodore Edson Parker Foundation for their support,” said GLCF President & CEO Jay Linnehan. “This pandemic has compounded the profound inequities in Lowell, as many are struggling to meet basic needs. These critical funds will continue to guide our community forward.”

The Theodore Edson Parker Foundation was established in 1944 under the will of Theodore Edson Parker of Lowell. The Parker Foundation’s primary goal is to make effective grants that benefit the city of Lowell and its residents. Grants are made for various purposes, including social services, cultural programs, community development activities, education, community health needs, and urban environmental projects.

Since March, through grants from its GLCF COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund and the Massachusetts COVID Relief Fund, the foundation has supported 115 local nonprofit organizations with 229 grants totaling over 2,825,756.

“On behalf of the Theodore Edson Parker Trustees and Lowell Advisors, I congratulate the Greater Lowell Community Foundation for their leadership,” said Karen Carpenter, President, Theodore Edson Parker Foundation. “They stepped up very quickly to address one of today’s most urgent needs, responding to the impacts of COVID-19. We are delighted to add our $50,000 contribution to that of others to help provide critical assistance. By joining forces together, we create a truly caring community.”

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.

 About Greater Lowell Community Foundation
The Greater Lowell Community Foundation (GLCF), founded in 1997, is a philanthropic organization comprised of over 350 funds, currently totaling over $50MM, which is dedicated to improving the quality of life in 20 neighboring cities and towns. The Community Foundation annually awards grants and scholarships to hundreds of worthy nonprofits and students. It is powered by the winning combination of donor-directed giving, personal attention from its staff, and an in-depth understanding of local needs. The generosity of our donors has enabled GLCF to award more than $25 million to the Greater Lowell community.

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Partnering to Meet the Social and Emotional Needs of Greater Lowell During COVID

By Kathy Register

As local nonprofits began reporting their vulnerable clients were suffering ill effects from mandated isolation due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Greater Lowell Community Foundation (GLCF) responded by awarding a series of grants to help address social- and emotional-health issues.

In March, when COVID-19 hit, the children and adults with disabilities at Concord’s Minute Man Arc for Human Services, and Seven Hills Pediatric Center in Groton, were suddenly cut off from family and friends. Both nonprofits received GLCF grants to purchase iPads to enable their clients to communicate with loved ones and outside professionals. 

And thanks to another GLCF grant, Strongwater Farm Therapeutic Equestrian Center in Tewksbury revived its Visiting Program, which brings therapy horses to patients in long-term care and hospice facilities.

“The pandemic’s required social isolation and resulting loneliness have left our community with potentially serious mental- and physical-health consequences,” said Jay Linnehan, GLCF President & CEO. “Funding nonprofits’ innovative methods to connect clients with friends, family, health-care providers, and even remote social services, provides much needed emotional support during this difficult time.”

GLCF helped Minute Man Arc for Human Services (MMAHS) purchase 25 iPads that were distributed to clients living in eight group homes, according to Stephanie Parish, Chief Development Officer.

MMAHS provides lifelong care to 850 children and adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities in Bedford, Carlisle, Concord and Littleton, and the surrounding area.

“We’re very big on community inclusion and activities such as working and volunteering,” said Parish. “Lockdown has been a bitter pill for our clients. It’s very isolating to be at home.”

Prior to COVID, she explained, clients living in group homes would come to the MMAHS program site in Concord five days a week to receive physical therapy, attend classes and recreational activities, or travel to job sites.

“We had to curtail all those in-person services in mid-March,” said Parish. “Very quickly we rearranged our classes to an online format, but it became apparent that the technology in our group homes was insufficient for day-long programming.”

Some group homes have as many as seven adults living there, Parish explained, so trying to crowd everyone around one tablet just wasn’t working. “This grant helped us to immediately expand and improve our programs. Our clients are now Zooming on their iPads.”

MMAHS provides virtual programs like educational classes, yoga and aerobics, plus recreational activities like bingo and — everyone’s favorite – musical sing-a-longs, said Parish. “Now, when they bring up a class on their iPads, they can see their friends again. It has been really critical to our clients’ well being.”

Children living at Seven Hills Pediatric Center have also benefitted from a GLCF grant to purchase five iPads, plus five tall standers to hold the devices, according to Elizabeth Vittum, Assistant Vice President of Development for the Seven Hills Foundation.

Seven Hills Pediatric Center in Groton received a GLCF COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund grant to address isolation during the pandemic. SHPC staff member, Marta helps connect SHPC resident to his family using iPad w/stand.

An 83-bed skilled nursing center in Groton, Seven Hills serves profoundly disabled and medically complex children, explained Vittum. “All our residents are non-ambulatory, the majority range in age from infancy up to 22, and all are under the cognitive age of 24 months.”

In March, when COVID-19 began spreading, the facility had to completely lock down, she said. Families were not allowed to visit, and children had to remain in their rooms and on their floors.

“That not only impacted our residents’ emotional health, but added to the trauma of families who suddenly couldn’t visit their children,” explained Monica Kleeman, Seven Hills’ Director of Education. “Now, we’re using iPads to connect children with their families again. We’re doing 125 FaceTime calls per week.”

The iPads have become a huge part of Seven Hills’ residents’ lives, said Kleeman, and the staff is getting more and more creative about how to use the devices. For example, they recently added an iPad to a traveling coffee cart set up to deliver snacks and coffee to staff in their offices.

“Now we’re doing virtual visits with our coffee deliveries,” said Kleeman. “We put one iPad in the room with a resident, and another iPad on the coffee cart. The children in the rooms can interact with and see staff while the cart makes its rounds.” They are also increasingly using iPads for resident-to-resident visits, so the children can see their friends, she said.

“We’ve all learned so much and embrace technology so much more now,” said Vittum. “These iPads have really changed the way we run our programs.’’

Strongwater Farm Therapeutic Equestrian Center in Tewksbury, was a recent recipient of a GLCF COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund grant to purchase a horse trailer, the nonprofit plans to take its popular equine activities and therapies on the road.  A hospice patient works with Peaches, the therapy pony and instructor Kassandra. 

Strongwater Farm Therapeutic Equestrian Center’s programs have also benefitted from its GLCF grant. Serving the special-needs community in northeastern Massachusetts, Strongwater provides professionally supervised equine-assisted activities and therapies at its Tewksbury facility, according to Executive Director Maria Antonioni. 

By using its grant to buy a new horse trailer, the nonprofit plans to take its popular equine activities and therapies on the road — once the pandemic recedes.

“Our Visiting Program grew out of our previous work at Tewksbury Hospital,” Antonioni explained. “We were taking therapy horses to the hospital and everybody loved it. We decided to expand that model and bring horses to other hospitals, schools and residential programs — to people who can’t come to us.” But then the pandemic started.

 “Just as we got our Visiting Program all ready to go, COVID happened and everything stopped,” she said. Individuals can still visit the Tewksbury barn and riding center for therapy. However, school groups and other organizations can’t come, and all visits to outside facilities are on hold.

“There is a need,” said Antonioni. “Before the pandemic, I was getting calls from hospice owners and other group homes. Their patients are suffering, often from terminal illnesses. Now, with coronavirus, they are in isolation. That’s the last thing anybody wants or needs at the end of life.” 

Recognizing these pandemic-related social- and emotional-health issues, as well as other needs, the Greater Lowell Community Foundation has awarded more than $2.9 million in COVID-relief support to local nonprofits, said Howard Amidon, Vice President for Philanthropy.

“The Foundation is here to respond to the needs of residents throughout Greater Lowell and northern Middlesex County,” he said, “And we look forward to continuing this critical work long after COVID-19 subsides.”

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Greater Lowell Community Foundation awarded $829K for COVID-19 relief work

Over the next few months, the Greater Lowell Community Foundation (GLCF) will distribute $829,983 to nonprofit organizations serving Lowell to alleviate hardship due to the COVID-19 pandemic and address: emergency food, housing support, medical interpretation, educational program support, as well as youth program support.

This new round of COVID-19 funding is made possible by the Baker-Polito Administration’s $10 million Community Foundations Grant Program for COVID-19 Relief. The program, administered by the Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development and the Department of Housing and Community Development through community foundations across the state, was announced in late November.

“GLCF is honored to partner with the Commonwealth to continue to address critical COVID-related needs in Lowell,” said GLCF president & CEO Jay Linnehan. “GLCF is developing a grantmaking plan to ensure that aid gets out to those who need it quickly and effectively.”

“This pandemic has created challenges for families across Massachusetts, including food insecurity, housing instability, and a lack of childcare, and these grants build on the Commonwealth’s efforts to help residents access these essential services and items,” said Secretary of Housing and Economic Development Mike Kennealy in the state’s announcement. “We appreciate the partnership of the Legislature in moving this funding forward, and applaud the work of so many organizations across the state helping people to access critical aid.”

Merrimack Valley Food Bank, a recent recipient of a GLCF COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund grant to address food insecurity in Greater Lowell, has seen increased demand for emergency food during the pandemic.

The Community Foundation Grant awards continue the Baker-Polito Administration’s efforts to support the individuals and families who have been hit especially hard during the pandemic, and are part of Partnerships for Recovery, the comprehensive plan to stabilize and grow the Commonwealth’s economy. These one-time grants to 14 community organizations range from $200,000 to nearly $1.7 million. Each foundation will re-grant program funds to local or regional community-based organizations that have the capacity to efficiently provide immediate relief and support for individuals and families.

Since March, through grants from the GLCF COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund and the Massachusetts COVID Relief Fund, the foundation has supported more than 100 local nonprofit organizations with grants totaling over $2.9 million. 

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GLCF awards additional $55K in COVID-19 response grants in latest round

CTI YouthBuild of Greater Lowell students help unload a donation of diapers at Lowell Alliance’s Diaper Bank, a recent GLCF COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund grant recipient.

LOWELL – A dozen local nonprofits, from organizations that provide essential supplies to individuals in need to those who serve the hungry, have been announced as the recipients of the Greater Lowell Community Foundation’s most recent round of COVID-19 response grants. The Greater Lowell Community Foundation (GLCF) announced that it granted an additional $55,000 in emergency grant funds from the GLCF COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund. 

“It has been eye-opening to see how COVID-19 has compounded the profound inequities in Greater Lowell. Local nonprofits are stretched beyond capacity to provide services to vulnerable populations due to growing needs,” said GLCF president & CEO Jay Linnehan. “There has never been a more critical time for our community to work together on solutions to address long-term challenges, and we are incredibly grateful to our donors who have continued to step up to offer support.”

In total, the community foundation awarded $55,125 to 12 organizations serving Greater Lowell. The GLCF COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund awards were the 11th round of grants disbursed by the community foundation this year. Since March, through grants from the GLCF COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund and the Massachusetts COVID Relief Fund, the foundation has supported more than 100 local nonprofit organizations with grants totaling over $2.9 million. 

This round of grants has aided organizations such as Lowell Alliance, an organization that helps Lowell families and neighborhoods thrive by connecting them with critical resources, including diapers. “Since the pandemic began in March, Lowell Alliance has distributed almost 50,000 diapers to families in need, triple the amount of diapers we usually give out,” said Lowell Alliance Director Nancy Coan. “While some of the diapers are donated, we purchase most of the diapers we distribute, and we’ve struggled this year to keep up with the increased demand. GLCF’s grant for our diaper bank is critical in allowing us to continue to help meet the basic needs of vulnerable families in Lowell.”

The funding has also helped the Massachusetts Military Support Foundation to help local veterans and military families through its Food4Vets program. “Massachusetts Military Support Foundation is pleased to continue its Food4Vets program, which serves our Veteran Families in the greater Lowell region and throughout Massachusetts during the COVID-19 Emergency. Partners, like the Greater Lowell Community Foundation, enable us to respond to the needs of our partners, families, and other nonprofits who continue to meet the needs of those who are food insecure during this horrible pandemic,” said Don Cox, president of the Massachusetts Military Support Foundation.

Massachusetts Military Support Foundation, a recent GLCF COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund grant recipient, has engaged over 1,000 volunteers in its Food4Vets program.  Volunteers pictured here packed Food4Vets holiday food boxes to be distributed to families in the Greater Lowell region and across the state.

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

  • Alternative House, Inc. – Technology for Senior Volunteers Remote Mentoring
  • Budget Buddies, Inc. – Equal Access for Virtual Financial Empowerment Programs
  • Chelmsford Community Exchange – Freezer and Fridge replacement
  • Community Teamwork, Inc. (CTI) – Technology for Senior Volunteers Remote Mentoring
  • Dignity Matters, Inc. – Dignity in Lowell Schools underwear program
  • Life Connection Center, Inc. – Homeless Winter Outreach Project
  • Lowell Alliance – Lowell Diaper Bank
  • Lowell TeleMedia Center – COVID-safe audio/video production
  • Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless – Operation Liquid Gold 
  • Massachusetts Military Support Foundation – MMSF’s Food4Vets and Farmers to Families Programs
  • Nature Connection, Inc. – Interactive Virtual Nature Program 
  • St. Paul’s Soup Kitchen, Inc. – Personal protection equipment support

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. 

About Greater Lowell Community Foundation
The Greater Lowell Community Foundation (GLCF), founded in 1997, is a philanthropic organization comprised of over 350 funds, currently totaling over $40MM, dedicated to improving the quality of life in 20 neighboring cities and towns. The Community Foundation annually awards grants and scholarships to hundreds of worthy nonprofits and students. GLCF is powered by the winning combination of donor-directed giving, personal attention from its staff, and an in-depth understanding of local needs. Our donors’ generosity has enabled GLCF to award more than $20 million to the Greater Lowell community.

Community Partners Come to the Aid of Seniors Facing Food Insecurity

Elder Services of the Merrimack Valley & North Shore (ESMV-NS) volunteer packages and later delivers hot lunch to homebound seniors. ESMV-NS received grants from the Greater Lowell Community Foundation to address elder food insecurity.

Over the past nine months, the coronavirus pandemic has exacerbated food insecurity among local senior citizens, and the Greater Lowell Community Foundation (GLCF) is stepping up to help.

Last spring, as COVID-19 began infecting older adults in high numbers, nonprofit agencies providing support to this demographic — like Minuteman Senior Services (MSS) and Elder Services of the Merrimack Valley & North Shore (ESMV-NS) — were hit hard by another jolt: Most of the volunteers they depended on to distribute meals to their senior clients were seniors themselves.

“Before COVID we had robust Meals on Wheels programs, as well as popular ‘congregate meal’ programs, which allowed people to eat together at their local senior centers,” explained Patti Dubielak, Director of Marketing & Development at MSS, which serves 16 towns, including Bedford, Burlington, Carlisle, Concord, Littleton and Wilmington.

“Once the pandemic hit in March, all our programs were impacted,” said Dubielak. “Plus, we lost about 60 percent of our volunteers because they were from high-risk groups, too.”

Compounding the situation is the fact that food insecurity among older people continues to grow, added Jennifer Raymond, Chief Strategy Officer of ESMV-NS, which serves seniors in 28 communities, including Billerica, Chelmsford, Dracut, Dunstable, Lowell, Tewksbury, Tynsgboro and Westford. 

“Hunger among seniors is not new, but COVID has shined a light on the problem in a much more visible way,” said Raymond. “We’ve seen a 30- to 35-percent increase in the numbers we are feeding.”

Minuteman Senior Services Dining Site Coordinator Marijana Petrovic packs frozen meals for delivery to homebound seniors in Burlington through Minuteman’s Meals on Wheels program.

Realizing these unforeseen forces were having a profound impact on elder health, last spring and summer GLCF distributed two COVID-19 Relief Fund Grants each to MSS and ESMV-NS, two nonprofits that support seniors in 14 of the 20 communities in the foundation’s service area.

The spring and summer grants were distributed by GLCF from the Massachusetts COVID-19 Relief Fund. Massachusetts COVID-19 Relief Fund supported those across the state most impacted by the COVID-19 health crisis, focused on essential frontline workers and vulnerable populations including the homeless, immigrant populations, people with disabilities, and those facing food insecurity. The fund worked in concert with regional community foundations and nonprofit leaders who partner with local leaders to understand the response and relief landscape, strategically filling in where gaps are pronounced.

And in November, GLCF continued addressing food insecurity among seniors by awarding another round of grants to both nonprofits from the foundation’s own COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund.  

“Food insecurity was a major focus of the Massachusetts COVID-19 Relief Fund, and we realized elder-food insecurity was a growing concern,” said Jennifer Aradhya, GLCF Vice President of Marketing & Programs.

“Communicating with local Councils on Aging gave us a solid understanding of the situation, as well as a strategy for a funding solution that would have the most impact. Elder Services of the Merrimack Valley & North Shore, and Minuteman Senior Services support more than 1,000 food-insecure seniors in 14 of our communities. Partnering with these two nonprofits made perfect sense.”

Once the pandemic lockdown began, both nonprofits had to quickly shift staff to work remotely, as well as (virtually) train a new crop of younger volunteers. With funding assistance from GLCF, group meals at senior centers were converted to “grab and go” sites, which allowed seniors to pick up meals and safely eat them at home. Both organizations adopted new “contactless” delivery protocols for their Meals on Wheels programs, and made other innovations.

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

ESMV-NS is also using some of its GLCF funding to pilot a food shopping/delivery program for at-risk seniors, according to Raymond. “We learned that some consumers had additional nutritional needs beyond what could be addressed through standard Meals on Wheels,” she explained.

“This funding from GLCF allowed us to launch and continue a grocery store shopping-and- delivery program for people who are facing food insecurity, but may not have the transportation or other resources to shop for the special dietary items they need,” she said.

“Our seniors are especially vulnerable to serious complications from the COVID-19 virus, and is seeing food insecurity at much higher numbers,” said Jay Linnehan, GLCF President & CEO. “These nonprofit partners have been very diligent and innovative in their approach to continuing services to Greater Lowell elders, while adapting to new safety rules. We are so grateful to them.”

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Written by Kathy Register

GLCF Grant Helps Nonprofits Improve Virtual Programming

Lowell’s Community Teamwork Inc. (CTI) benefitted from LTC’s Media Making classes, funded by a grant from the Greater Lowell Community Foundation. Eva Cortes, a WIC Breastfeeding Peer Counselor, provided well-baby sessions online.

Virtual well-baby visits for new moms and infants; monitoring a nest of turtle eggs in the wild; cooking videos led by a local nutritionist; and online nature walks with a botanical illustrator. These are just a few examples of the new online programming local nonprofits have created, thanks to technical-training classes from Lowell TeleMedia Center, funded by a grant from the Greater Lowell Community Foundation. 

Last spring, when the pandemic forced nonprofit organizations into lockdown mode, they moved their face-to-face programs online. However, as summer fast approached, many realized they needed help creating virtual programming to attract young people. 

“Kids are usually outside running around during the summer, but all that changed this year with COVID-19,” explained Wendy Blom, Executive Director of Lowell TeleMedia Center (LTC). “Our local nonprofits knew they had to start offering online summer programming — and they had to do it quickly.”

Recognizing this need, the Greater Lowell Community Foundation (GLCF) awarded a $5,000 grant to LTC to organize a series of Media Making classes for ten youth-serving nonprofits. Offered in late June and early July, the training covered Zoom, social media, TikTok, cell-phone video, podcasting, and iMovie editing.

“In our spring Zoom meetings with local nonprofits, they let us know they wanted skills-training for virtual programming,” said Jay Linnehan, GLCF President and CEO. “Our nonprofit partners needed to pivot their in-person programming online and wanted it to be quality, engaging content for discerning youth. We knew LTC could provide that training.”

The response to Media Making classes was overwhelmingly positive, said Blom. “I was amazed that so many organizations — and how many staff — wanted to take our classes.” LTC trained 115 people, she said, and both small and large nonprofits took advantage of the six courses. The online content they created was also highly varied.  

Jane Calvin, Executive Director of Lowell Parks & Conservation Trust (LPCT), said her staff of four welcomed the training. “It was perfect timing,” said Calvin. “We had already started creating virtual content but had questions about how to do it better and how to get it out to a wider audience.”

One of the few accredited urban land trusts in the country, LPCT protects land throughout Lowell and provides community programming to connect residents to natural resources in the city – including outdoor after-school and summer programs.

“When COVID shut everything down, I told my staff, ‘Be creative! Let’s take advantage of this time to get out to Trust properties we haven’t videoed before,’” Calvin recalled.

So, Environmental Educator Emily Wood began making virtual nature walks, encouraging viewers to create nature journals to keep track of the plants and animals they encountered. Wood’s engrossing videos also feature beautiful time-lapse botanical illustrations she draws on camera.  

The Trust also created virtual content teachers could use, added Calvin. In previous years, three Lowell science teachers had run popular “turtle-adoption” programs in their classrooms. Shortly after COVID-19 shut down schools, a Trust staff member noticed that a rare Blanding’s turtle, a threatened species, had laid eggs in her neighborhood. She began making short videos as she kept watch over the nest. 

During the summer, in conjunction with Zoo New England, LPCT monitored the nest and eventually eight baby turtles hatched.

During the summer, in conjunction with Zoo New England, LPCT monitored the nest, and eventually, eight baby turtles hatched. Trust staff and volunteers are now raising the turtles in a terrarium in the office and plan to release them back into the wild next spring.

Lowell’s Community Teamwork Inc. (CTI), a community action agency with more than 500 employees, also benefitted from the Media Making classes, according to Amy Weatherbee, Manager of Grants & Planning. 

“By March 16, word of mouth just shut down, so word of mouth went virtual,” said Weatherbee. “We had to pivot quickly to online program delivery, and when this opportunity at LTC came up, we jumped at it.

“Not only did our summer-youth programmers want training, but we also asked if staff from other CTI divisions could attend Media Making classes,” she said. The Foundation agreed, and Community Teamwork sent more than 30 staffers from across the organization to the virtual classes.   

As a result, CTI’s Entrepreneurship Center began hosting daily Zoom calls for small-business owners with questions about how to apply for federal Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans, Weatherbee explained.

No longer able to hold in-person nutrition workshops, a nutritionist in CTI’s Women, Infants & Children (WIC) program created a series of popular “healthy eating” cooking videos. Another WIC staffer moved her well-baby sessions online, and in the process, discovered that her client list grew because new moms found it easier to attend virtually.

According to Weatherbee, these are just a few of the many ways CTI utilized Media Making classes to improve client outreach. “The Foundation was great. It stepped in and quickly provided much-needed help to agencies that had to switch to the realities of remote work.”  

“This type of grant is what community foundations do best,” said Jennifer Aradhya, GLCF’s Vice President of Marketing & Programs. “Convening nonprofit partners, identifying a common need, and providing a funding solution. This partnership is real grassroots philanthropy at its best. And in this case, the skills our partners gained has set them up nicely for future programming.”

About Greater Lowell Community Foundation

The Greater Lowell Community Foundation (GLCF), founded in 1997, is a philanthropic organization comprised of over 350 funds, currently totaling over $40MM, which is dedicated to improving the quality of life in 20 neighboring cities and towns. The Community Foundation annually awards grants and scholarships to hundreds of worthy nonprofits and students. It is powered by the winning combination of donor-directed giving, personal attention from its staff, and an in-depth understanding of local needs. The generosity of our donors has enabled GLCF to award more than $20 million to the Greater Lowell community.

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