2 Worcester Organizations Awarded Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Foundation Grants

Thursday, February 09, 2017
GoLocalWorcester News Team

Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Foundation announced that it has awarded $60,500 to the Regional Environmental Council Mobile Farmer's Market and $14,000 to the Worcester Public Library Foundation.

“While we are supporting community growers and markets on the supply side, we are also helping programs that build consumer demand for healthy food. Through cooking classes, nutrition and shopping education, as well as coupons that double a family’s purchasing power, we can continue to increase customers’ demand for the food grown right here in New England. That’s great for our health, for our environment, and for our economy,” added Karen Voci, president of Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Foundation.

Overall Massachusetts organizations were awarded $974,445.

Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Foundation Awards

Overall, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care awarded almost $2.5 million in grants to over 900 nonprofit organizations in Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts.

In 2016, over $1.4 million in grants was distributed to the Foundation’s Healthy Food Fund initiatives within the region, with funds supporting programs that grow, distribute and/or market fresh food for low-income families and communities across the region.

Healthy Food Fund grants included:

$952,416 in second-year Healthy Food Fund grants to the 20 not-for-profit community food initiatives in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire that grow, distribute and/or market fresh food to low-income families and communities.
$246,000 in the first round of Healthy Aging grants to 24 not-for-profit programs in Massachusetts, Maine, and New Hampshire. The funded programs helped older adults eat better and stay connected to their communities through community garden, cooking, and nutrition programs.
$280,500 to support five mobile farmers’ markets in Worcester and Lowell, Mass., Hartford, Conn., Lewiston/Auburn, Maine; and the seacoast of New Hampshire.

The Foundation also awarded $612,500 to 771 organizations in 265 communities through Harvard Pilgrim’s Community Spirit 9/11 Mini-Grants program. This program enables each Harvard Pilgrim Health Care employee to annually award a $500 grant, completely funded by the Foundation, to the charity of his or her choice