North Shore Nonprofits Gain $495K In Donations From Cummings Employees

BEVERLY, MA — The Cummings Properties Community Giving Program this holiday season directed $495,000 in donations to North Shore and other regional nonprofits of the regional commercial real state firm's employees' choosing.

Staff members are allowed to select a nonprofit important to them to receive donations with more than 200 causes across 100 cities and towns benefitting from this year's round of contributions.

This is the 12th year of the donation program.

"Corporate citizenship is about more than just giving back," Cummings Properties President Eric Anderson said. "It's about giving everyone a voice, and allowing all values to be represented, in the process."

Account Manager Shannon DePierro and her husband, Carpentry Team Leader Mike DePierro, each directed $2,000 to Amirah. This Beverly-based organization provides support for women seeking to exit the commercial sex trade.

"We felt passionate about contributing to a nonprofit that helps underserved individuals," said the long-time Wilmington residents. "Amirah works with a stigmatized, often traumatized population whose unique needs likely aren't being directly addressed by many other organizations.

"And when we learned that Amirah happens to be a Cummings leasing client, we were even more gratified by our selections."

In 2021, the nonprofit was also awarded $100,000 through the Cummings Foundation's annual $30 Million Grant Program.

Cummings Community Giving is open to staff at Cummings Properties as well as its affiliated senior living communities, New Horizons at Choate, in Woburn, and New Horizons at Marlborough. In recent years, the program has expanded to include longtime leasing clients and Cummings Foundation volunteers.

Each eligible nonprofit may receive up to $6,000 per cycle. Through this year's employee cycle, 20 recipients reached the maximum, including Boston Children's Hospital, Friends of Woburn Veterans, Jamie McKeown Boys & Girls Club of Woburn, Cape Ann Animal Aid, and Marlborough Fire Department.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)