Father Bill’s & MainSpring Receives $25,000 Grant From Eastern Bank Charitable Foundation For COVID-19 Relief
In total, Eastern Bank Charitable Foundation donated $45,000 to FBMS in 2020
[January 8, 2021] Father Bill’s & MainSpring (FBMS), a regional leader of services to prevent and end homelessness, has received a $25,000 grant from Eastern Bank Charitable Foundation (EBCF) to assist individuals and families struggling during the pandemic. The grants are part of a commitment from the Eastern Bank Charitable Foundation to provide financial support to local organizations focused on COVID-19 relief.
In total, Eastern Bank Charitable Foundation provided FBMS with three grants in 2020, totaling $45,000. The grants have helped FBMS meet the growing need for its services across Southern Massachusetts since the onset of the pandemic.
In December, Eastern Bank featured FBMS on its Give for Good charitable-giving platform, which makes it easier for Eastern Bank customers to donate to local non-profit organizations.
“This past year has been by far the most difficult in our agency’s history, and the reason we have been able to continue providing hope to our neighbors in need is because of generous organizations like the Eastern Bank Charitable Foundation,” said John Yazwinski, President and CEO of FBMS. “These grants have allowed FBMS to operate additional space to provide safe shelter and basic needs to guests in Quincy and Brockton, many of whom are elderly or immunocompromised. We are very grateful to the Eastern Bank Charitable Foundation for stepping up and supporting our mission at this most critical time.”
During the early days and weeks of the pandemic, Eastern Bank Charitable Foundation began to lend its support as quickly as possible, and it has steadily increased throughout 2020 the amount of unsolicited grants to nonprofit organizations. In total, $11 million in COVID-19 relief grants has been provided to hundreds of local and regional organizations in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island in 2020.
The most recent funding supports organizations focused on housing stability, homelessness, food security, and essential services and utilities for low- and moderate-income individuals and families.
FBMS is receiving a grant for its work in addressing housing insecurities compounded by the virus outbreak.
“Housing, homelessness and food insecurity have long been challenges in our local communities that are being made worse by the double impact of the pandemic and approaching winter season,” said Nancy Huntington Stager, President and CEO of Eastern Bank Charitable Foundation. “Thank you to the organizations and people bravely working on the front lines to support our neighbors in need providing vital assistance during these times. The need for corporate philanthropic support of our nonprofit partners is as great now as it was at the beginning of the pandemic, and we invite those who can to join us in giving their support.”
About Father Bill’s & MainSpring
Father Bill’s & MainSpring (FBMS) is the leading provider of services to prevent and end homelessness in Southern Massachusetts. The agency, founded in the early 1980s by a group of interfaith and community leaders, helps more than 6,700 people annually who are experiencing, or at risk of, homelessness. FBMS, a proud partner of the United Way of Greater Plymouth County and the United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley, is a 501(c)(3) non-profit agency with administrative offices in Quincy and Brockton and program offices throughout Southern Massachusetts. For more information, visit www.helpfbms.org.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, Contact: Patrick Ronan, (508) 649-4589, pronan@helpfbms.org