BankRI makes grants to 26 local nonprofits

In its fifth round of charitable funding this year, Bank Rhode Island (BankRI) has awarded $80,450 in grants to 26 local nonprofits. The funds are earmarked to support educational opportunities for underserved youth and human services programs that help individuals and families with basic needs. Grants ranged from $1,000 to $10,000.

“This [past] year, much like 2020, underscored just how vital our state’s nonprofit sector is to the well-being of our communities and neighbors, particularly safety net services,” said Mark J. Meiklejohn, President and CEO of BankRI. “Supporting the work of these organizations is very important to us as a local business.”

Southside Community Land Trust (SCLT) is among the grantees, receiving $5,000 to help build out a commercial kitchen in its new, 12,000 sq. ft. facility in South Providence. Having outgrown its previous headquarters due to expanding its programs, SCLT’s new space will allow for a Farm-to-Market Center that will benefit local farmers and food entrepreneurs. The commercial kitchen will be within the center and feature a USDA-compliant wash and pack station, and cold and dry storage for farmers’ produce. It will also be available to entrepreneurs for their food business. BankRI’s grant is funding a blast chiller, which flash freezes produce so surplus crops may be preserved and used over the winter. SCLT expects to move into the facility next spring.

“In addition to increasing sales and distribution of local farmers’ harvests, the Farm-to-Market Center will bring much-needed, affordable and healthy food to South Providence and other communities where fresh produce is hard to find,” said Shana Santow, Development Director for SCLT. “We’re grateful to BankRI for sharing our vision to address equity in the food system.”

Other grantees include Thundermist Health Center for COVID-19 testing, vaccination clinics, and monoclonal antibodies therapy in Woonsocket; McAuley Ministries to provide thousands of nutritious meals through its food program at McAuley House; and the University of Rhode Island Research Foundation to support Polaris MEP’s manufacturing workforce training programs in the state. A complete list of funded organizations is as follows:

About Bank Rhode Island

Bank Rhode Island, a wholly owned subsidiary of Brookline Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:BRKL), is a full-service, FDIC-insured financial institution headquartered in Providence, Rhode Island.  The bank operates 20 branches and more than 30 ATMs throughout Providence, Kent, Newport and Washington Counties. For more information, visit www.bankri.com.