A total of $161,778 was awarded from the Bradley Henry Barnes & Leila Upson Barnes Memorial Trust at Main Street Community Foundation to five organizations working to improve the health and wellbeing of Southington residents. The organizations provide programs that enhance community wellness, promote healthy living and improve access to food and childcare services.

The grants awarded are:

• $55,000 to The Hospital of Central Connecticut to purchase and install a new cardiac rehab telemetry monitoring system at the Bradley Memorial Campus.
• $50,000 to L.E.A.F. (Lewis Educational Agricultural Farm) for general support of school programs and to ensure a healthy and sustainable food supply in Southington.
• $30,450 to the Southington Education Foundation to provide continued support for the “RULER” initiative being rolled out to the Southington High School students in the coming academic year. The “RULER” initiative supports the mental health of both students and teachers by developing emotional intelligence.
• $12,000 to Bread For Life to support their expanded meal program, which provides Wednesday night dinner and Saturday lunch to a food-insecure population. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Bread for Life has seen an increased demand and incurred additional expenses that this grant will help support.

In addition, the Barnes Memorial Trust awarded a $14,328 grant to the Southington-Cheshire Community YMCAs to support the immediate and emerging needs they are facing due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The grant provided continued support for Emergency Child Care Services for essential medical staff and first responders. In March, a grant of $25,052 was awarded to provide seed money for this urgent need. This additional grant will fill gaps in funding from the State of CT for up to 8 weeks beyond current funding, which ended on May 15, 2020.

“Main Street Community Foundation takes great care to carry out the legacy of Bradley Barnes to improve the health outcomes of Southington residents,” said Susan Sadecki, President & CEO of the Community Foundation.

All grant proposals were reviewed by the nine person volunteer Advisory Committee for the Barnes Memorial Trust. The Advisory Committee is comprised of Southington residents and other professionals who make final funding recommendations to the Community Foundation’s Board of Directors.

The Bradley Henry Barnes & Leila Upson Barnes Memorial Trust was originally established in 1973 by the late Bradley Henry Barnes of Southington to support the health and health care needs of Southington residents. The Trust was transferred to the Main Street Community Foundation in 2004.