December 15, 2020 — Cardinal Cushing Centers completes $10M capital campaign, opens new MarketPlace. Food Link granted $60K to support ongoing work. Six Mass. nonprofits get $45K for community-building programs. Nonprofit museums to close as selected cities roll back reopening plans.

Cardinal Cushing Centers Completes $10M Capital Campaign, Opens New MarketPlace

Cardinal Cushing Centers in Hanover, a nonprofit that supports individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, earlier this month opened a new, 20,000-square-foot building complex called the MarketPlace on Route 53.

The project, which was five years in the making, was funded with a $10 million capital campaign, which recently surpassed its fundraising goal, according to The Patriot Ledger.

“I think MarketPlace really represents a new beginning at Cardinal Cushing and the resilience our community has shown through this pandemic,” she Cardinal Cushing’s CEO, Michelle Markowitz, quoted in The Boston Globe.

The MarketPlace includes a coffee and pastry shop called The Cushing Café, a gift shop called Unique Boutique, and Take 2, a thrift store.

Food Link Granted $60K to Support Ongoing Work

Food Link, an Arlington-based nonprofit that rescues fresh food and contributes to environmental sustainability, recently received $60,000 in program support from Kohl’s to support its work.

“We are so honored to be selected by Kohl's Cares to be the recipient of this very special gift," said DeAnne Dupont, Food Link executive director, quoted in YourArlington.com. "Kohl's Cares’ overwhelming generosity will enable Food Link to collect more nutritious, fresh food and deliver it to communities in eastern Massachusetts that are suffering greatly from food insecurity, including Lawrence, Lowell, Revere, and Chelsea.”

Since it was stablished in 2012, Food Link has diverted three million pounds of food from the waste stream. It is currently creating the Food Link Hub, due to open in 2021, to “serve as the heart of our community.” It expects to be able to divert two million pounds of food annually by 2025, which will provide 1.6 million meals a year.​

Six Mass. Nonprofits Get $45K for Community-Building Programs

The Gannett Foundation recently announced it granted $45,000 to six Massachusetts nonprofits through its A Community Thrives program, which invests in community-building programs throughout the country that focus on hunger, the environment, veterans’ issues, foster care, and other important causes

Receiving the general operating grants were the following:

• Association to Preserve Cape Cod, Dennis: $15,000
• Cape Cod Maritime Museum, Barnstable: $5,000
• Cordial Eye Gallery and Artist Space, Barnstable: $5,000
• New Bedford Economic Development Council, New Bedford: $5,000
• Parents Forum, Cambridge: $7,500

Nonprofit Museums to Close as Selected Cities Roll Back Reopening Plans

Believing that the state is not doing enough to control the coronavirus pandemic, mayors in Boston, Brockton, Somerville, and Newton on Monday announced they will roll back reopening plans that will force nonprofit museums, as well as other gyms and movie theaters, to shut down for three weeks, starting Dec. 16.

“Since reopening our doors in September, we have made the health and safety of our staff and visitors our top priority. With the rise in COVID-19 cases in Boston and throughout the country, we are aligned with City leadership's efforts to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and keep our community healthy and safe,” noted the Museum of Fine Arts Boston (MFA).

The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum and the Institute of Contemporary Art, both in Boston, like the MFA, invited members of the community to interact with it digitally. The McMullen Museum of Art at Boston College plans to reopen Feb. 1.