Lynn Housing Authority and Neighborhood Development
“I am pleased to announce that the Lynn Housing Authority and Neighborhood Development has received additional funds from our partners at United Way. Lynn Housing Authority and Neighborhood Development (LHAND) enjoys a long and fruitful relationship with the United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley (UW). Rooted in the UW’s mission to “unite to create positive, lasting change for people in need,” LHAND and UW’s collaboration brings about programming in areas both agencies are strongly committed to, including support for housing unstable families and their children, financial coaching, and more”, stated the LHAND Executive Director Charles Gaeta.
This past year, from the very early days of the COVID pandemic, our United Way partners were actively raising funds via the Lynn Community Care Fund (LCCF) and rapidly releasing those funds to Lynn families in need through a variety of community agencies that banded together to address immediate needs.
To date the UW, via LHAND alone, has distributed $100,500 to Lynn families. These funds were instrumental in providing immediate relief, such as grocery store gift cards, to families in the early weeks of the pandemic in response to job losses and long unemployment queues. As other needs emerged, the UW was quick to respond with assistance for families struggling to maintain internet connectivity for their children’s remote learning, pay utility bills, and more.
This week, we learned that an additional $40,000 in funding secured by the UW will be made available to Lynn residents through LHAND programs. This funding represents a portion of a potential total of $200,000 in funding to the Lynn community as a whole via LCCF provider agencies.
We are thrilled and honored to be part of this meaningful collaboration that supports those in most need – in real time!
ABCD and The Greater Boston Food Bank announce a joint initiative
Action for Boston Community Development, Inc. (ABCD) and The Greater Boston Food Bank (GBFB) jointly announced a groundbreaking $2 million initiative, designed to provide thousands of families affected by COVID-19 with more fresh fruits, vegetables, and other nutritious perishable foods. As experts in the field have noted, the demand for emergency food in Eastern Massachusetts has increased by 66% due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With support from the federal CARES Act (Coronavirus AID, Relief, and Economic Security Act), ABCD will work with GBFB to fund 2.5 million pounds of fresh foods to communities in need through local food pantries, which are affiliated with GBFB. Approximately 260,000 individuals across Greater Boston will benefit over the next six months.
ABCD President/CEO John J. Drew and GBFB CEO Catherine D’Amato noted that this innovation builds on decades of partnership between the two organizations, each with deep, grassroots, community collaborations. In February, GBFB served over 172,000 households with over 2.4 million pounds of food throughout its food pantry network, which includes 8 ABCD sites. Over the past year, ABCD provided more than 100,000 households with a wide range of services designed to fight the current emergency, and to equip families with tools to thrive in the future.
“Our doors have been open. We’ve been providing food, diapers, rental assistance, fuel assistance and other emergency help from day one of the pandemic. By expanding this important partnership, the Fresh Foods project will keep hungry people healthier during an already difficult time,” said John J. Drew, ABCD President/CEO. “The need is urgent and our ability to help is immediate.”
“Partnerships are key in the work to end hunger in our communities, and ABCD has been one partner that is essential in GBFB’s COVID-19 response,” said Catherine D’Amato, president and CEO, The Greater Boston Food Bank. “Beyond partnering since 1989 as a pantry food distributor in the Greater Boston area, they have stepped up to provide critical funding to enable GBFB to distribute healthy and nutritious food for all partners in this region during this challenging pandemic.”
The response from communities has been enthusiastic. “ABCD has been a critical partner in keeping folks in Malden, and across the region, housed, fed, and safe throughout the pandemic and long before,” said Representative Steven Ultrino (D – Malden) “I’m incredibly excited about this new collaboration between ABCD and The Greater Boston Food Bank, and look forward to continuing our work with them to ensure that every member of our community can keep food on the table for themselves and their families.”
ABCD and GBFB will also work together to identify barriers to better nutrition for low-income families. Both GBFB and ABCD are committed to seeking durable systems change which will enhance the effectiveness and cost-efficiency of the resources struggling families rely on.
“Our families were letting us know that finding food and supplies was becoming more difficult in the grocery stores as COVID got worse,” said Jenny Sugilio, Acting Director at ABCD Parker Hill/Fenway Neighborhood Service Center. “We had to do something about it! No one should be allowed to go hungry.