LUK, Inc. has been awarded funding to provide several Mental Health Awareness and Suicide Prevention Trainings throughout Worcester County. Funds include grants from the Reliant Foundation, Brake The Silence, and UMass Memorial Health – HealthAlliance-Clinton Hospital Determination of Needs (DoN).

These trainings include: Suicide Prevention 101 with QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer), LivingWorks safeTALK (suicide prevention), Mental Health First Aid (Adult and Youth options), and Training Active Bystanders (TAB). 900 participants will learn to identify potential mental health concerns, where to receive support, and skills to help others. Trainings are available in English and Spanish for professionals, school personnel, youth serving organizations, families, and youth.

Recent community assessments prioritize mental health concerns and describe a number of barriers that people may experience when navigating mental health systems, from stigmas to culture/language and transportation barriers. Decreasing stigma and increasing awareness of the signs and symptoms of mental health challenges and suicide risk helps those in need receive the support and resources they need to thrive.

Cassandra Foley, Director of Community Engagement & Support, stated that LUK is “Excited to continue to provide quality trainings to members of our communities. Our trainings help to build participants’ confidence in helping someone in need,” Foley stated.

Training will educate participants to identify signs and symptoms of mental health concerns, provide resources to refer individuals to mental health services, and inform participants about community resources.

LUK, Inc. is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the safety, health, and well-being of youth, families, and adults in Central Massachusetts. As a community-based organization, LUK’s mission is to challenge and inspire youth, adults, and families to realize their unique potential through community-based prevention, intervention, education, and support services.

For more information about LUK, Inc. visit www.LUK.org, call (800) 579-0000, or find them on Facebook. Join us in building communities, family by family!

Grants distributed to 11 local agencies through two winter weather initiatives

United Way of North Central Massachusetts (UWNCM) recently distributed $93,000 to 11 local agencies to help struggling community members this winter. Grants were made through two funds addressing critical areas of need in cold weather months: the Winter Heating Initiative and Emergency Shelter Fund.

The Winter Heating Initiative is a new program that provides financial assistance for heating expenses to households that have exhausted state heating assistance or fall just short of qualifying. UWNCM has so far raised and distributed $60,000, which includes $25,000 given by the Community Foundation of North Central Massachusetts, $5,000 given by Unitil and donations from community members.

Grants were awarded to five agencies: Athol Area YMCA, Gardner Community Action Committee, Making Opportunity Count, Spanish American Center, and the Winchendon Community Action Committee—the final of which is a first-time UWNCM grant recipient.

Shaina Cunningham, Winchendon Community Action Committee Program Manager, says, “We are so appreciative of the grant and have heard from many people what a tremendous help these funds have been. Some have even told us that without the support, they would not have had heat this winter.”

UWNCM also distributed $33,000 to six agencies through its Emergency Shelter Fund, a long-standing initiative that provides shelter for homeless individuals during extreme winter weather. This round of grants covered motel rooms for over 100 people and was made to Athol Area YMCA, Clear Path for Veterans New England, Ginny’s Helping Hands, Restoration Recovery Center, Salvation Army Athol Corps, and Spanish American Center.

UWNCM Director of Community Impact Judy Tomlinson notes that recipient agencies for both programs were selected to ensure coverage of the entire North Central Massachusetts region. In addition, many recipients are small grassroots organizations that run food pantries, enabling them to get immediate support to local community members.

“With costs for fuel, shelter and other expenses rising, the need in our community is at an all-time high,” says Tomlinson. “UWNCM is all about working with local organizations to meet basic needs such as heating and emergency shelter assistance for families dealing with this crisis.”

Community members can support both the Winter Heating Initiative and Emergency Shelter Fund by making a gift at uwncm.org/donate.

The United Way of North Central Massachusetts serves the communities of Ashburnham, Ashby, Athol, Ayer, Devens, Fitchburg, Gardner, Groton, Harvard, Hubbardston, Leominster, Littleton, Pepperell, Lunenburg, Petersham, Phillipston, Royalston, Shirley, Templeton, Townsend, Westminster and Winchendon.

Donation will enable Ginny’s to store additional frozen foods of meats, fruits, vegetables

WHAT: In February 2023, Fidelity Bank learned Ginny’s Helping Hands and Food Pantry was in urgent need of two freezers to store frozen food for those they serve in the community. Each month, Ginny’s supports thousands of people in North Central Massachusetts by providing fresh, frozen, and shelf-stable groceries that come from scores of partners and supporters. Members of Fidelity Bank will be visiting Ginny’s to fill the new freezers with frozen meats, fruits, and vegetables.

WHERE: 52 Mechanic Street, Leominster

WHEN: Thursday, March 16 from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m.

WHO:

Brandon Robbins, Executive Director, Ginny’s Helping Hands and Food Pantry

Ed Manzi, Jr., Chairman and CEO, Fidelity Bank

Mayor Dean J. Mazzarella, City of Leominster
Fidelity Bank colleagues

MEDIA OPPORTUNITY: Reporters will have the opportunity to conduct on-site interviews with members of the Ginny’s and Fidelity Bank leadership to learn more about the donation and the continued partnership between the organization and the bank. Photography and videography is welcomed.

WORCESTER, Mass. – The Health Foundation of Central Massachusetts announces the opening of its 2023 Synergy Initiative and Activation Fund grant opportunities to target community-identified health issues and support innovative approaches to addressing health issues in the region.

The Synergy Initiative provides multiple years of funding (approximately $2 million in total funding over roughly five years) for collaborative projects that address health issues in Central Massachusetts with integrated, comprehensive strategies focused on systems change. The Activation Fund supports discrete, one-year projects in Central Massachusetts (typically between $60,000 and $120,000) aimed at helping move an organization to its next level of capacity and effectiveness that can be sustained over time.

The Foundation does not name specific health issues or priority areas, instead looking to community-based organizations to identify health issues and potential solutions. Information sessions outlining each program’s funding goals, eligibility criteria, and application processes will be held in February and March.

“Since its launch in 1999, The Health Foundation of Central Massachusetts has been committed to improving the health of those who live or work in Central Massachusetts. We look forward to this next round of Synergy Initiative and Activation Fund grants as an opportunity to further our impact in the region, and we are especially excited to pilot several innovative activities aimed at supporting smaller, newer organizations interested in our grant opportunities,” said Dr. Amie Shei, President and CEO of the Foundation.

The deadlines for submission of initial application materials are April 12 for the Activation Fund and July 12 for the Synergy Initiative. To learn more about both grant opportunities and register for an upcoming information session, please visit the Foundation’s website at www.hfcm.org.

In 2023, the Foundation is also piloting several equity-related initiatives aimed at increasing access to the Foundation’s Activation Fund grant opportunity and helping smaller organizations build capacity.

For those with limited English proficiency, interpretation and translation services will be available for virtual information sessions when requested in advance through the registration process. For small organizations with limited grant development capacity and experience, the Foundation is offering technical assistance focused on the Activation Fund through an outside consultant for up to five applicants.

Organizations with annual operating budgets less than $500,000 will also be eligible to request up to 10% of direct project costs for unrestricted, supplemental support aimed at building capacity. These pilots will be evaluated to assess effectiveness and to inform future implementation. To learn more about these opportunities, please visit the Foundation’s website. Applications for the technical assistance pilot are due by February 17.

Foundation staff is available to assist throughout the application process for both funding opportunities by discussing project ideas and providing feedback. To schedule a consultation for the Synergy Initiative, contact Dr. Kathy Mills, Vice President for Programs (kmills@hfcm.org), and for the Activation Fund contact Jennie Blake, Senior Program Officer (jblake@hfcm.org).

About The Health Foundation of Central Massachusetts

The Health Foundation of Central Massachusetts uses its grantmaking resources to improve the health of those who live or work in the Central Massachusetts region, with particular emphasis on vulnerable populations and unmet needs. The Foundation was established in 1999 with the proceeds from the sale of Central Massachusetts Health Care, Inc., a physician-initiated, not-for-profit HMO. The Foundation has assets of approximately $80 million and has awarded grants totaling over $52 million since it began its grantmaking in 2000. For more information, visit www.hfcm.org.