Food Link Awarded $500,000 Cummings Grant
Food Link awarded $500,000 Cummings grant
Arlington, MA nonprofit receives 10 years of funding from Cummings Foundation
Food Link, Inc. was selected as one of 140 local nonprofits to receive grants of $100,000 to $500,000 each through Cummings Foundation’s $25 Million Grant Program. Food Link is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that rescues surplus fresh food and delivers it to community organizations serving people in need throughout Eastern Massachusetts. The Arlington-based organization was chosen from a total of 580 applicants during a competitive review process.
As many as 1.6 million Massachusetts residents faced food insecurity in the last two years. Food Link rescues 1.4 million lbs. of food a year – the equivalent of 1.2 million meals – and distributes it to over 80 community organizations serving 75,000 people facing food insecurity. As a result, Food Link prevents 411,600 lbs. of CO2 pollution, equivalent to removing 44 cars from the road for a year.
"Food Link is immensely honored by Cummings Foundation’s desire to make a long-term investment in our relationship-driven approach to food rescue, which centers the choice and dignity of recipients,” said Rachel Albert, executive director at Food Link. “This grant comes at a pivotal time as Food Link develops its strategic plan to address rising food insecurity and increased environmental stressors in Massachusetts. It's hard to overstate the impact of knowing we will have $50,000 per year of guaranteed funding from Cummings Foundation as a solid base for our other fundraising efforts."
“Food Link is immensely honored by Cummings Foundation’s desire to make a long-term investment in our relationship-driven approach to food rescue”
The Cummings $25 Million Grant Program supports Massachusetts nonprofits that are based in and primarily serve Middlesex, Essex, and Suffolk counties. Through this place-based initiative, Cummings Foundation aims to give back in the areas where it owns commercial property.
“We are so fortunate in greater Boston to have such effective nonprofits, plus a wealth of talented, dedicated professionals and volunteers to run them,” said Cummings Foundation executive director Joyce Vyriotes. “We are indebted to them for the work they do each day to provide for basic needs, break down barriers to education and health resources, and work toward a more equitable society.”
With the help of about 90 volunteers, the Foundation first identified 140 organizations to receive grants of at least $100,000 each. Among the winners were first-time recipients as well as nonprofits that had previously received Cummings Foundation grants. Forty of this latter group of repeat recipients were then selected to have their grants elevated to 10-year awards ranging from $200,000 to $500,000 each.
The complete list of 140 grant winners, plus more than 900 previous recipients, is available at www.CummingsFoundation.org.
Cummings Foundation has now awarded more than $375 million to Greater Boston nonprofits.
Image left: Food Link’s Co-Founder (Julie Kremer), Executive Director (Rachel Albert), staff, and volunteers pose with Cummings Foundation representative Judith Castor in front of one of Food Link’s four food rescue vehicles.
Image center: Produce, including peppers, mushrooms, and bananas, that would have gone to waste without Food Link’s intervention. In 2021, Food Link rescued over 500,000 lbs. of produce, providing healthier food options to those communities in need.
Image right: Between 2020 and 2022 Food Link raised $3.25M to open its energy-efficient, eco-friendly headquarters in Arlington MA.
About Food Link
Food Link is a community organization that rescues fresh food, alleviates hunger, and contributes to environmental sustainability. Food Link's vision is a food system without waste, in which everyone has enough. Food Link’s operations hub is located in Arlington, Massachusetts, and serves 55 communities throughout Eastern Massachusetts. Learn about Food Link on its website at www.foodlinkma.org.
About Cummings Foundation
Woburn-based Cummings Foundation, Inc. was established in 1986 by Joyce and Bill Cummings 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.