Winthrop Foundation Awards $26,250 to Support Essential Town Programs

Special to the Transcript

The Winthrop Foundation has awarded a grant of $26,250 to continue its support of local nonprofits and programs serving some of the town’s most vulnerable residents and most pressing needs.

The $26,250 will be distributed to local nonprofit organizations and groups that provide food to the elderly, single and struggling families, and recovering addicts in Winthrop. These organizations will utilize the funds to distribute gifts cards, purchased from 35 local small businesses, to folks who have visited and are in need of resources from local food pantries, food banks, and like-minded groups throughout the town.

In March 2020, Chairman Russ Sanford, and the Board of Trustees acted quickly to initiate a rap-id-response emergency grant program that has awarded a total of nearly $50,000 to local nonprof-its. Recent grant recipients include Mi-Amore, the Winthrop food bank, Community Action for Safe Alternatives (CASA) which is providing increased mental health services for local youth, WHS for alternative and remote graduation activities for the Class of 2020, and others.

According to Chairman Sanford, this newest $26,250 in grant funding will continue in that vein. “Our town, like nearly every town and city, has seen increased food insecurity and other essential needs arise for many of our residents. At the same time, we’ve seen a huge economic downturn for many of our small businesses. The $26,250 grant we’re awarding today will ensure that local food banks and other groups serving needy families and individuals in our Town can continue to help those coming through their doors, while also supporting our local small businesses where residents spend their dollars.”

The Winthrop Foundation, founded in May 2019 with support from Speaker of the House Robert A. DeLeo, has received $500,000 from Massport thus far. The Board of Trustees is working hard to serve the Winthrop community in the most effective way possible and hopes to launch its Regu-lar Grant Application in the coming weeks. Thank you Speaker DeLeo and Massport.

The Winthrop Foundation Trustees are:

Chairman Russ Sanford

Winthrop Police Chief Terry Delehanty

Gus Martucci

Jeff Turco

Brian Leslie

Vinny Crossman

Vasili Mallios