April 17, 2020 Press Releases

Round 3 Grants of $178,000 From COVID-19 Response Fund; Supports 17 Nonprofits Providing Emergency Services

April 17, 2020—The COVID-19 Response Fund for the Pioneer Valley, launched and managed by the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts, has announced its latest round of community grants totaling $178,000 in support of 17 nonprofit organizations. The grantee organizations are on the front lines of the crisis as they serve the most vulnerable populations in Hampden, Hampshire and Franklin Counties.

This round of grants, the third since the inception of the Response Fund, supports a range of organizations providing assistance in the areas of food security, family and youth services and shelter.

The nearly $200,000 in grants have been awarded to the following nonprofit organizations:

• Stone Soup Café (Greenfield)
• MANNA Soup Kitchen (Northampton)
• Lorraine’s Soup Kitchen (Chicopee)
• Boys & Girls Club of Greater Holyoke Inc.
• Bethlehem Baptist Community Church (Hampden)
• Jubilee Food Cupboard (Ware)
• Good Neighbors Food Pantry (Charlemont)
• Martin Luther King, Jr. Family Services, Inc. (Springfield)
• Gray House (Springfield)
• Salvation Army – Springfield Corps
• Salvation Army – Greenfield Corps
• Survival Centers, Inc./Amherst Survival Center
• Franklin County Community Meals Program, Inc. (Greenfield)
• Providence Ministries for the Needy for Kate’s Kitchen & Margaret’s Pantry (Holyoke)
• Easthampton Community Center
• Mary Lyon Education Fund, Inc. (Shelburne Falls)
• Jewish Federation of Western Massachusetts, Inc. for Rachel’s Table (Springfield)

The most recent donations to the fund reported today include:

• Eversource Foundation ($50,000)
• Amelia Peabody Charitable Fund ($75,000)
• People’s United Community Foundation ($15,000)
• Wagner Foundation ($15,000), based in Boston
• Bulkley Richardson Gelinas ($2,500)
• Key Bank in partnership with First Niagara Foundation ($5,000)

Since launched, donations from businesses, philanthropic organizations and individuals to the COVID-19 Response Fund have topped $3.3 million and growing. Prior to this most recent round of grants, the Community Foundation has dispersed almost $1 million through the fund.

The Response Fund was established to provide emergency grants to community nonprofit organizations serving the immediate needs of the most vulnerable populations affected by the pandemic in Western Massachusetts.

According to Katie Allan Zobel, President and CEO of the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts, “We are inspired by the number of donors who have heard about the Fund and given through our website or mailed in checks. The response is a wonderful reminder of how much our Pioneer Valley community cares for one another. The response of our nonprofit community is equally inspiring. This spirit of collaboration and coordination is making a difference in the lives of those most affected by this crisis.”

The Community Foundation welcomes additional donations to the COVID-19 Response Fund for the Pioneer Valley.