April 7, 2020
East Cambridge Savings Bank today announced donations to nine nonprofit organizations that are serving children, families, and senior citizens who are experiencing hardships as a result of the ongoing COVID-19/coronavirus pandemic. These organizations are meeting critical needs such as providing meals for students who are out of school, food for families who are experiencing unemployment, and services for senior citizens who are homebound. Organizations receiving a donation are:
• Arlington EATS
• Belmont Food Pantry
• Bread of Life (Malden, Mass.)
• Food for Free
• Malden YMCA
• Project Soup (Somerville, Mass.)
• Salvation Army, Chelsea Corps
• Somerville-Cambridge Elder Services
• Waltham Boys and Girls Club
The significant increase in hardships because of COVID-19 related school closings and business disruptions is being generously addressed by not-for-profit organizations and their volunteers. The Malden YMCA, which serves Malden, Medford, and Everett, is operating three food pantries, doing home grocery delivery for home bound seniors and families, and providing “grab and go” meals for students who are home but rely on schools for nutrition. “Support from members of the local business community like East Cambridge Savings Bank enables the Malden YMCA to meet the needs of our neighbors during this crisis,” said Debbie Amaral, Chief Executive Officer. “We have been able to provide food assistance to over 400 local households every day, home grocery delivery to 250-300 homes weekly, as well as breakfast and lunch for nearly 200 students every day of the week.”
Older adults are also being significantly impacted by COVID-19 and associated closures and disruptions. The ongoing health crisis further amplifies issues facing this demographic like food insecurity and social isolation. Somerville-Cambridge Elder Services has temporarily stopped in- person programming but continues to provide essential services like meal deliveries and phone calls to seniors who live alone. “Older adults are some of our most vulnerable neighbors and this pandemic presents challenges to reaching elderly homebound people,” said Executive Director Paul Hollings. “Somerville-Cambridge Elder Services is committed to caring for and safeguarding the health of senior citizens, their families, and caregivers throughout this crisis. The support from East Cambridge Savings Bank helps us continue our vital services and provide comfort to local seniors.”
“This pandemic has impacted nearly every member of the community and has upended far too many lives,” said Gilda M. Nogueira, the Bank’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “Issues like food insecurity and access to support services are only made worse by the crisis. As a local Bank with the ability to navigate through this situation, we have a responsibility to help these organizations that are doing critical work to help our most at-risk neighbors like children and senior citizens.”
For more information and what the Bank is doing to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, please visit ecsb.com
About East Cambridge Savings Bank
East Cambridge Savings Bank is a full-service mutually-held savings bank that believes in connecting with customers. The Bank was established in 1854 and is dedicated to providing businesses and individuals with a full line of banking services in the communities it serves. Headquartered in Cambridge, the Bank has locations in Arlington, Belmont, Cambridge, Chelsea, Malden, Medford, Somerville, and Waltham, as well as an educational training facility at Cambridge Rindge and Latin School. The Bank is a member of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) and the Depositors Insurance Fund (DIF).
CONTACT:
Leo Gayne
Assistant Vice President, Public Relations Officer
East Cambridge Savings Bank
617-551-2353
lgayne@ecsb.com