Food For Free receives $100,000 Gift from Cummings Foundation

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. | Cambridge based food rescue organization, Food For Free, has been awarded a $100,000 grant from the Cummings Foundation, through its $100k for 100 program. The grant will be paid over four years and will support Food For Free's work improving access to fresh healthy foods for people in 12 Greater Boston cities.

The $100k for 100 program supports nonprofits that serve Middlesex, Essex, and Suffolk counties. This year, the program is benefiting 41 different cities and towns within the Commonwealth.

Since 1981 Food For Free has responded to local hunger by rescuing food that would otherwise go to waste, and distributing it to local emergency food programs including food pantries, youth programs, shelters, and more. Through a combination of food rescue, farming, and transportation programs, the organization’s year-round services give people access to fresh fruits and vegetables, which are typically lacking from the diets of low-income individuals and families.

As one of the nation’s first food rescue programs, Food For Free feeds more than 30,000 people annually in Boston and beyond distributing food to more than 100 programs in Arlington, Cambridge, Chelsea, Everett, Lynn, Lowell, Malden, Medford, Peabody, Somerville, and Watertown.

“Hunger in America is not only a lack of access to food -- it’s a lack of access to nutrition,” says Sasha Purpura, executive director of Food For Free. “The funds granted to us through Cummings Foundation will help us continue to grow and expand our reach throughout Greater Boston and reach more families in need. We are incredibly grateful for this gift to support our work.”

Through this place-based initiative, Cummings Foundation aims to give back in the area where it owns commercial buildings, all of which are managed, at no cost to the Foundation, by its affiliate Cummings Properties. Founded in 1970 by Bill Cummings of Winchester, the Woburn-based commercial real estate firm leases and manages more than 10 million square feet of space, the majority of which exclusively benefits the Foundation.

"We admire and very much appreciate the important work that nonprofit organizations like Food For Free are doing in the local communities where our colleagues and clients live and work," said Joel Swets, Cummings Foundation's executive director. "We are delighted to support their efforts."

The complete list of 100 grant winners is available at CummingsFoundation.org. For more information about Food For free visit foodforfree.org.

About Cummings Foundation

Woburn-based Cummings Foundation, Inc. was established in 1986 by Joyce and Bill Cummings of Winchester. With assets exceeding $1 billion, it is one of the largest foundations in New England. The Foundation directly operates its own charitable subsidies, including two New Horizons retirement communities in Marlborough and Woburn. Its largest single commitment to date was $50 million to Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts university. Additional information is available at CummingsFoundation.org.

About Food For Free

Since 1981, Cambridge based Food For Free, has responded to local hunger by rescuing food that would otherwise go to waste, and distributing it to local emergency food programs including food pantries, youth programs, shelters, and more. As one of the nation’s first food rescue programs, Food For Free, a local nonprofit, feeds more than 25,000 families annually in Greater Boston and beyond. In 2015, Food For Free rescued more than 1.7 million pounds of fresh, healthy food, which translated into over 1.3 million meals. Through a combination of food rescue, farming, and transportation programs, Food For Free’s year-round services give people access to fresh fruits and vegetables, which are typically lacking from the diets of low-income individuals and families.