Main Street Community Foundation recently awarded a total of $474,258 in grants from the Bradley Henry Barnes & Leila Upson Barnes Memorial Trust to thirteen nonprofit organizations working to support the health and well-being of Southington residents.

The grants awarded are:

• The Arc of Southington - $5,900 - Repair and rebuild the handicap accessible ramp and landing at the entrance to the main office building
• Bread For Life - $78,000 – Meal program for Southington’s food-insecure population, including support for rising food-related costs
• Early Childhood Collaborative of Southington - $27,500 – Health, safety and well-being educational programs for young children and their caregivers.
• Friends of Southington Community Services – $30,000 - Food, fuel assistance and other basic needs for low-income residents
• LiveWell Alliance, Inc. - $55,000 – “Empowering Partnership Network” as well as the development of programs for people living with dementia through the Center for Resilient Living
• Prudence Crandall Center Inc. - $45,000 - COVID-19 recovery relief and services for Southington victims of domestic violence and their children
• Southington-Cheshire Community YMCAs - $100,000 - COVID-19 recovery relief support of programs and operations
• Southington-Cheshire Community YMCAs - $31,434 – Community collaboration with the YMCA, Southington Public Schools and Southington Police Department to purchase and install “Stop the Bleed” kits in public locations
• Southington Community Cultural Arts - $50,000 –All Access program for adults with disabilities and those living with dementia
• Southington Education Foundation - $15,000 – Materials, supplies and licenses to enhance the “RULER” initiative for social/emotional learning in the Southington public schools
• Southington Manna Fund, Inc. – $5,000 – Emergency housing for temporarily displaced Southington residents
• United Way of Southington - $28,424 –Senior Transportation Services program, which offers free rides to Southington seniors to medical appointments, pharmacy, banks and care facilities

An additional $3,000 was provided to long-term care facilities – LiveWell Alliance and Southington Care Center – for patient assistance funds for financially disadvantaged residents.

These grants bring the total amount awarded from the Bradley Henry Barnes & Leila Upson Barnes Memorial Trust to $857,213 for 2021. All grants benefit organizations in Southington or organizations that provide programs to Southington residents specifically in three areas that were identified by a comprehensive community needs assessment study: health/health care needs for an aging population; substance use and mental health; and healthy initiatives and lifestyle.

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 and since that time has awarded over $11.4 million to improve health outcomes of Southington residents.