Spirit of Giving: 5 Nonprofits to Support in Westborough

WESTBOROUGH, MA—It's easy to find a charity. Throw a dart and you'll hit some group, somewhere, raising money for some cause. But perhaps you want to keep it truly local, and help the neighbors around you or the organizations that operate right in your community.

The season of giving is just around the corner. As our jack o'lanterns start to rot on the front steps, thoughts of Thanksgiving, winter, helping, kicks in to our thoughts.

Here is a list of five nonprofit organizations operating or helping in Westborough. Learn more about them.

1. 15-40 Connection: this growing national organization was founded to improve cancer survival rates through the power of early detection.15-40 Connection was founded in response to a hidden problem. Since 1975, improvements in cancer survival rates for 15 to 40 year-olds have continuously lagged behind all other age groups. Delayed diagnosis is a major culprit of this shocking statistic.
2. Westborough Education Foundation: a private non-profit organization dedicated to providing financial support for projects and programs that expand educational opportunities, foster and stimulate creativity, and enhance the excellence of academic experiences for Westborough students.
3. Brain Injury Association of Massachusetts: A private, nonprofit organization, BIA-MA provides support and resources to brain injury survivors and their families; prevention programs to educate the public on the impact of brain injuries; education and training for brain injury survivors, caregivers and professionals; and legislative advocacy for improved community services and safety laws (seat belts, helmets).
4. Westborough Food Pantry: today, the pantry provides food for more than 130 Westborough families. Each family receives up to 3 bags of groceries depending on the size of the family. Typically we distribute 125-130 bags per week. Estimating that each bag weighs 15-20 pounds averages out to 2,000 pounds of food per week distributed. That’s over 50 tons of food per year. In addition to that, families also receive fresh meat, eggs and bread every week. The Food Pantry helps to feed an average of 900 people a month.

What nonprofit do you support? Tell us about it in the comments section.

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