Main Street Community Foundation (MSCF) rounded out its 2024 grantmaking from the Bradley Henry Barnes and Leila Upson Barnes Memorial Trust with the awarding of $283,705 in grants to organizations that improve the health outcomes of Southington residents. Since the beginning of the year, MSCF has awarded over $910,000 from the Trust, with grants supporting behavioral health, healthcare needs for the aging population, and healthy initiatives and lifestyle.

The most recent grants awarded are:

• Bread For Life - $43,000 – Support for the meal program for Southington’s food-insecure population totaling over 350 clients, many of which are homeless, is being continued. Specifically, the grant will assist with the purchase of food, related items for packaging, and expenses for meal delivery to homebound residents, such as gas and vehicle maintenance.
• Early Childhood Collaborative of Southington - $28,425 - Health, safety and well-being initiatives for Southington’s young children and their caregivers are being supported for the fourth year. Each initiative in the program focuses on a different topic and is delivered in-person at events, through the ECCS website, social media channels and via webinars.
• Friends of Southington Community Services - $10,000 - Funds will be used for emergency food purchases and other basic needs of Southington residents.
• Southington Community Cultural Arts (SoCCA) - $25,000 – This grant will support the All Access program for neuro-diverse adults with learning differences. The program teaches creative work skills, provides a source of income for participants through the sale of their art, and increases socialization and self-confidence, thereby enhancing quality of life.
• Southington Education Foundation (SEF) - $44,280 – A collaboration between the SEF, STEPS, and the Southington Public Schools will design and implement a new social-emotional learning curriculum in all K-12 classrooms.
• The Orchards at Southington - $33,000 - Adaptive exercise equipment is being purchased for a newly renovated gym, which has expanded capacity for residents of the Orchards’ independent and assisted living center as well as community members.
• UCONN Health - $100,000 – For the third year, a grant supports UConn Health’s Child and Family Development Program which provides an array of mental-health services for children and families in Southington. The center provides parent support groups, behavioral management groups, prevention groups to improve children’s emotional competence, drop-in consultation hours and psychological evaluations for medication.

The Bradley Henry Barnes and Leila Upson Barnes Memorial Trust was established over 50 years ago with the express purpose of providing funds for the benefit and betterment of Southington. Since MSCF was appointed trustee of the Trust in 2004, the Foundation has awarded over $14 million to local organizations that work to improve the health and wellbeing of Southington residents.