My Brother’s Table awarded $100,000 Cummings grant
Lynn nonprofit receives 4 years of funding from Cummings Foundation
Lynn, May 27, 2022 – My Brother’s Table is one of 140 local nonprofits to receive grants of $100,000 to $500,000 each through Cummings Foundation’s $25 Million Grant Program. The Lynn-based organization was chosen from a total of 580 applicants during a competitive review process. It will receive $100,000 over 4 years.
My Brother’s Table nourishes the Lynn community with free meals, hospitality, and unconditional love. The organization relies on volunteers and a small staff to provide meals and other services to its guests, 365 days a year; and has served 5.8+ million meals since opening its doors in 1982.
My Brother’s Table’s Executive Director, Dianne Kuzia Hills, said, “We are extremely grateful to receive this award from the Cummings Foundation. It has come at a time when we really need the help! We are still serving 400% more meals than we did pre-pandemic and with inflation’s impact on our food and supply costs, we are struggling to make ends meet.”
My Brother’s Table is currently providing 70,000 to 80,000 meals each month and its hours of operation have doubled from pre-pandemic times. The dramatic increase in the number of meals served has led to increased expenses related to purchasing food, transporting it, preparing it, packaging it, and cleaning and sanitizing the facility. This award will help the Table fund its operating expenses including food, supplies and labor.
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. Its buildings are all managed, at no cost to the Foundation, by its affiliate, Cummings Properties. This Woburn-based commercial real estate firm leases and manages 11 million square feet of debt-free space, the majority of which exclusively benefits the Foundation.
“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.
“Our volunteers bring diverse backgrounds and perspectives, which is so critical to our grant selection process,” said Vyriotes. “Through this democratized approach to philanthropy, they decide more than half the grants every year.”
This year’s grant recipients represent a wide variety of causes, including food insecurity, immigrant and refugee services, social justice, education, and mental health services. The nonprofits are spread across 45 different cities and towns.
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.
About My Brother’s Table
Since 1982, My Brother’s Table, the largest soup kitchen on the North Shore, has served 5.8+ million free, hot meals to women, men, and children in need and has been open 13,000+ consecutive days. The Table welcomes all without screening or deeming processes to provide hospitality to as many guests as possible with as little bureaucracy as possible. My Brother’s Table provides a safe welcoming place where anyone can receive a hot nourishing meal while also receiving the nourishment of kind human interaction. To learn more about My Brother’s Table or if you would like to help, please visit www.mybrotherstable.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.