WELLESLEY, Massachusetts — Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Foundation has announced it awarded nearly $2.5 million in grants to more than 900 nonprofit organizations in more than 300 communities in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts and New Hampshire in 2016.

In 2016, more than $1.4 million in grants was distributed to the Foundation’s Healthy Food Fund initiatives within the region, with funds supporting programs that grow, distribute and/or market fresh food for low-income families and communities across the region. 

Grants totaling $351,544 in Maine were:

• St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center, Lewiston, Cultivating Community and Good Food Bus mobile farmers market, $60,000;

• Cultivating Community, Portland, expanding community supported agriculture shares; cooking and nutrition classes, $50,000;

• Healthy Communities of the Capital Area, Southern Kennebec County, expanding gleaning and food processing through Restorative Community Harvest Program, $50,000;

• Maine Farmland Trust, Biddeford, Portland, Saco, South Portland and Westbrook, SNAP incentives at farmers markets, community supported agriculture programs, food hubs, co-ops, $50,000;

• Wolfe’s Neck Farm Foundation, Greater Bath and Brunswick, Teen Agriculture Program, cooking and nutrition programming, $50,000;

• Healthy Aging Grants, statewide, community gardens and cooking and nutrition classes for older adults, $42,000; and

• Maine Medical Center and Maine Health: Childhood Obesity Prevention Conference, $10,000.

The foundation helps build healthy communities by supporting programs that provide access to fresh, healthy food, improve the health of communities impacted by health disparities.

FMI: www.harvardpilgrim.org/foundation

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