Boston Foundation surprises Haley House with $50,000 grant
Boston – The Boston Foundation, Greater Boston’s community foundation, has announced the awarding of a $50,000 Out of the Blue grant to Haley House, Inc., in recognition of its powerful multifaceted role providing career and housing assistance to low-income individuals while creating a civic hub for Roxbury in its Dudley Square café.
The unsolicited Out of the Blue grants are voted on by the staff of the Boston Foundation and awarded to recognize exceptional leadership and programmatic excellence in regional nonprofits.
“No place in the city reflects the diverse strengths of its neighborhood quite the way Haley House Bakery Café does in Dudley Square,” said Paul S. Grogan, President and CEO of the Boston Foundation in his announcement of the grant. “Walk into Haley House at any time of day and you’ll see community and civic leaders sitting side by side with artists, workers, and residents of all ethnicities and walks of life who together comprise the remarkable diversity of Dudley Square and Roxbury.
“But while the bakery and café may be the most visible element of Haley House’s work today, it is only a small part of the organization’s efforts to improve the lives of those in need for nearly half a century,” Grogan added.
Founded in 1966 as a provider of food and shelter for the homeless in the South End, Haley House, Inc. has developed a multifaceted approach that uses food and the power of community to break down barriers between people, transfer new skills, and revitalize neighborhoods. The original soup kitchen has expanded to include a weekly Food Pantry and Elder Meal Program, while the Haley House Bakery Café combines the organization’s goals of providing healthful, affordable, ethnically inspired food, creating a community centered environment and providing training that empowers workers to fulfill their potential and improve their life trajectories.
In addition, Haley House continues its first-in-the-city efforts to provide permanent, affordable housing with more than 100 available units in the South End, and its urban agriculture program, which provides both healthy, local ingredients for its food businesses and a powerful educational opportunity for both youth and adults in the city.
"Haley House is tremendously honored by the Out of the Blue Award, appreciative that the Boston Foundation has recognized the work of our programs, which, though small in scale, have a deep community impact,” said Bing Broderick, Executive Director of Haley House, Inc. “The fact that every member of Boston Foundation staff was able to vote in this designation makes it all the more meaningful to our own staff. We are planning to use these funds to help to secure a permanent home for our social enterprise Bakery Cafe in Dudley Square."
2014 marks the thirteenth year of the Boston Foundation’s Out of the Blue grantmaking program. Since the program’s inception in 2002, 33 Greater Boston nonprofits have received unsolicited grants as a part of the program.
Tags: