Centre Street Food Pantry Receives Grant Award From Cummings Foundation

Regional Food Relief Agency Will Hire A Program Manager To Expand Its Impact

Newton, MA – July 24, 2024 - Newton, MA - Centre Street Food Pantry, a nonprofit regional food relief agency located in Newton Centre, announces that it has been awarded a $120,000 grant through the Cummings Foundation’s 2024 annual program. Awarded over a three-year period, the grant will help to fund the addition of a Program Manager.

“Last year, two full-time staff oversaw hundreds of volunteers and sourced over 850,000 pounds of food, which we distributed in 55,000 bags of groceries,” said Rose Saia, Executive Director. “The Cummings Foundation grant will fund the hiring of a Program Manager so that we can expand our reach by developing and introducing programs to meet the diverse needs of those who we serve. It’s an honor to be selected to receive this grant, and I am awed by the example set by Bill and Joyce Cummings who give back by empowering nonprofits to make a greater impact.”

Centre Street Food Pantry is available to residents of Brookline, Needham, Newton, Waltham, Watertown and Wellesley, serving an average of 1,100 households per month that includes over 4,000 people. Despite exponential growth since the pandemic, with Centre Street now serving 20% more people this year than last year, the organization has held true to its mission to provide consistent and inclusive access to healthy food, with dignity and kindness. Its Grocery and Kids Club programs include culturally common pantry staples as well as a high percentage of fresh foods that include fruits, vegetables, dairy and enough frozen proteins for several meals.

Centre Street is one of 150 local nonprofits that will share in $30 million through Cummings Foundation’s major annual grants program. The organization was selected from a total of 715 applicants during a competitive review process. This year’s grant recipients represent a wide variety of causes, including housing and food insecurity, workforce development, immigrant services, social justice, education, and mental health services. The nonprofits are spread across 49 different Massachusetts cities and towns.

“Greater Boston is fortunate to have a robust, dedicated, and highly capable nonprofit sector that supports and enhances the community in myriad ways,” said Cummings Foundation executive director and trustee Joyce Vyriotes. “The entire Cummings organization is thankful for their daily work to help all our neighbors thrive.”

Cummings Foundation has now awarded $500 million to greater Boston nonprofits. The complete list of this year’s 150 grant winners, plus nearly 2,000 previous recipients, is available at www.CummingsFoundation.org.

About Cummings Foundation
Woburn-based Cummings Foundation, Inc. was established in 1986 by Joyce and Bill Cummings of Winchester, MA and has grown to be one of the largest private foundations in New England. The Foundation directly operates its own charitable subsidiaries, including New Horizons retirement communities, in Marlborough and Woburn, and Cummings Health Sciences, LLC. Additional information is available at www.CummingsFoundation.org.

About Centre Street Food Pantry
Centre Street Food Pantry’s mission is to provide our communities with consistent and inclusive access to healthy food, with kindness and dignity. The nonprofit regional food relief agency is open weekly to assist residents of Brookline, Needham, Newton, Waltham, Watertown and Wellesley. Centre Street consistently provides a variety of fresh food and essential items to all who visit and has created special programs designed to meet the needs of senior citizens and children. For more information about these programs and others, as well as current initiatives, fundraising needs and news, please visit www.centrestfoodpantry.org or follow us on Instagram or Facebook.

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MEDIA CONTACT

Dan Foley
Centre Street Food Pantry
d.foley@centrestfoodpantry.org
508-272-0017 mobile