Cohasset resident Paul Ognibene, CEO of City Areas, the Cambridge-based actual property improvement firm, stepped up when the decision went out that Meals for Free, a Cambridge-based nonprofit, had misplaced their area.
Ognibene realized of Meals For Free’s dilemma when Jason Alves, director of the East Cambridge Enterprise Affiliation, reached out to his membership to see if anybody might help. Ognibene and his staff met with Meals For Free quickly thereafter and, after just some quick conferences, had cast a partnership that gives Meals For Free with a brand new facility.
The brand new partnership had a ribbon-cutting ceremony to have a good time the opening of the meals packing and distribution heart. Situated at 73 First Avenue in Cambridge’s First Avenue Hall throughout from the CambridgeSide purchasing heart, the ability will assist Meals For Free meet the rising demand for meals through the pandemic. City Areas is donating the lease and property administration providers for the three,600 sq. foot facility.
Because the pandemic hit in March, Meals For Free had been using the Cambridge Senior Middle as a meals packing and distribution heart. The nonprofit knew that they would want to search out one other area as soon as winter started with the intention to make method for town’s seasonal warming heart for the homeless.
“City Areas saved us on the final minute,” stated Sasha Purpura, government director of Meals For Free. “They’re not charging us lease, they’re not charging us a administration price and it’s so considerably under any market price that each one of that cash that we’ll be saving can go on to meals and to addressing this disaster.”
Throughout the ceremony, Purpura advised the group, which included metropolis of Cambridge Mayor Siddiqui, vice mayor Alanna Mallon, councilors Tim Toomey and Marc McGovern and State Consultant Marjorie Decker, in addition to staff members from Meals For Free and City Areas, that the relative improve in meals insecurity in Massachusetts is larger than wherever else within the nation.
“When Jason Alves of our native enterprise affiliation referred to as and defined what Meals For Free was all about and what they had been in search of, we knew instantly that we wished to assist in any method we might, so we labored every thing out in report time,” stated Ognibene. “This partnership represents the very best of the enterprise, authorities and nonprofit worlds coming collectively, and it’s a fantastic mannequin for group success.”
For info, go to https://foodforfree.org.
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