Circle of Hope and Hope & Comfort Receive Grants to Fight Poverty

Needham, Mass. – Life Science Cares Boston, a nonprofit that connects life science industry executives and employees with nonprofits fighting poverty across Greater Boston, has awarded Hope & Comfort and Circle of Hope grants to support the organization’s work supporting people in need. The Needham-based nonprofits are two of 27 social service organizations to receive a collective $755,000 in grants in 2020, bringing Life Science Cares’ four-year giving total to more than $3.8 million.

Founded in 2016, Life Science Cares was created as a platform for members of the life sciences industry to give back while also giving nonprofits the funds and volunteer power necessary to grow and innovate. This combination of connecting multi-year grants and volunteers to nonprofits that need both is the core value the organization brings as it works to decrease the ever-widening economic and opportunity gap in communities.

This year’s grant distribution culminates another year of rapid expansion and community impact. In addition to its annual grants program, since March Life Science Cares has led a multi-faceted COVID-19 relief effort to help Greater Boston neighbors facing challenges during the crisis, rallying 600 area biopharma executives and employees to raise $1.8 million granted to organizations that provide food, shelter and medical care.

“The Life Science Cares model is unique in that our corporate members’ support extends well beyond financial contributions to include volunteer engagement, strategic support and in-kind donations of goods or services,” says Sarah MacDonald, Executive Director for Life Science Cares. “This year, more than ever, it is an honor to invest in our partners working tirelessly to provide food, housing, education and employment to our neighbors in need.”

Each of Life Science Cares’ partnerships look vastly different, but all are aimed at fighting poverty. Partners who address basic human needs, such as food and shelter, are working with homeless populations and those living month to month and struggle to pay for groceries, bills and rent. Partners who provide educational programs serve underrepresented and underserved youth in schools and after-school programs. And, partners who focus on economic sustainability work with young adults, immigrants and sometimes mid-career individuals who are looking for better opportunities in the workforce, often seeking to switch from gig economy jobs to more stable salaried positions.

Circle of Hope provides clothing and necessities to homeless families and individuals in 25 partner shelters and programs throughout Boston and MetroWest. When the COVID-19 crisis erupted in Massachusetts, Circle of Hope immediately pivoted toward disease prevention. In addition to clothing and toiletries, the organization now supplies homeless families with hand soap, sanitizer, and personal protective equipment (PPE), like face masks and gloves. The Life Science Cares grant will support Circle of Hope’s “Get Set” program, which provides necessities to college students who are experiencing homelessness.

“I am deeply grateful to Life Science Cares for supporting our Get Set program for the second year in a row,” says Barbara Waterhouse, Circle of Hope Executive Director. “College students who are homeless rely on Circle of Hope for the clothing, hygiene essentials, and PPE they need to stay healthy and safe. The incredible support we have received allows us to help these vulnerable students focus on their classes and goals.”

Hope & Comfort’s mission is to provide essential hygiene products to support and improve the health, self-esteem, and hygiene education of school aged children and young adults in need within Greater Boston. This year, Hope & Comfort will distribute 1.5 million hygiene products to over 150 partner organizations. This includes more than 500,000 bars of soap, a critical first line of defense in stopping the spread of COVID-19.

"Life Science Cares has been a tremendous partner to Hope & Comfort, especially this year, when - unfortunately - our clients need our services more than ever,” says Jesse Mattleman, Executive Director of Hope & Comfort. “In addition to providing emergency funding to assist us in meeting an extremely heightened demand for essential hygiene products, Life Science Cares has fostered a supportive community for nonprofit and corporate stakeholders alike to share resources, ideas, and expertise. We simply could not make the impact we do without their support.”

Life Science Cares is a turnkey CSR program for the life science industry and a model through which other professional industries can leverage their time, talent and treasure to tackle society’s greatest social issues. The organization recently expanded into Philadelphia and will launch affiliates on the West Coast in the coming months. For a complete list of 2020 Life Science Cares grant recipients, visit https://lifesciencecares.org/life-science-cares-boston-awards-755000-to-nonprofits-fighting-poverty/.

About Life Science Cares

Life Science Cares is a collective effort of the life science industry connecting companies with nonprofits that improve the lives of people living in poverty in target cities nationwide. In Boston, Life Science Cares harnesses the sector’s human and financial resources to support a portfolio of 27 nonprofit organizations. Life Science Cares partner organizations work to address basic survival needs (food, shelter) improve education, and develop job skills that increase long term economic sustainability for the community’s most vulnerable neighbors. For more information, visit: www.lifesciencecares.org.

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