HOLYOKE, Mass. (WWLP) – Organizations in the Holyoke area that are fighting injustice, oppression, and poverty were awarded grants from the Carlos Vega Fund for Social Justice.
In a news release sent to 22News from Carlos Vega Fund for Social Justice, four grants of $1,000 each were awarded to organizations in the greater Holyoke area. A reception is being held on May 12th at the Holyoke Heritage State Park Visitor Center on Appleton Street.
The grants were issued to the following organizations:
- Give With Love’s Back to School Drive, for backpacks and school supplies for kids in need.
- Holyoke Health Center’s expansion of its books for kids program, to give age-appropriate graphic novels that have been banned or challenged in some communities, to preteens ages 10-12 at well-child visits.
- El Colibrí/Amherst Shelter, for a pilot program providing monthly passes to the Holyoke YMCA for unhoused women, to give them access to showers, health and fitness classes, and other services to promote physical, mental, and emotional wellness.
- An unsolicited “appreciation grant” was initiated by the CVFSJ board to Beyond Walls for their mural work in Holyoke this summer. These funds will be targeted for their community engagement program.
Small grants have been awarded since 2012 totaling $66,570 to 52 organizations which are managed by the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts.
