Reliant Medical Foundation awards $50K in grants

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By Sam Bonacci

The Reliant Medical Group Foundation has distributed $50,000 in grants to 18 nonprofits across Central Massachusetts in its latest round of giving, the foundation announced Wednesday.

The round of giving focuses on institutions that share the foundation’s mission to improve the health and well-being of those who live in the region and covers an area from Fitchburg to Webster. Although the foundation assists organizations that encourage healthy living and proper health care, the organization has continued focus on childhood obesity, according to the release.

The latest round of grants were distributed to:

Bancroft School/Worcester Partnership – helping underserved children from Elm Park Community School gain access to a healthy living curriculum during the school year and through summer programs
Boys & Girls Club of Lunenberg – health and fitness for children in grades 6 - 10 to promote healthy lifestyles and prevent or address obesity using the Let’s Go! 5-2-1-0 model
Boys & Girls Club of Webster-Dudley – nutrition, health and fitness program promoting healthy lifestyles to battle childhood obesity to children and youth aged 6-18; also incorporates the Healthy Habits program and cooking classes
Boys & Girls Club of Worcester – health, nutrition and fitness for children and youth aged 8-18 encouraging kids to eat smart, keep fit and form positive relationships; includes cooking instruction and free meals on weeknights for low-income kids
Children’s Haven – Healthy Habits after school program in Worcester and Douglas that was started by a Reliant patient and uses the Let’s Go! 5-2-1-0 curriculum
Community Harvest Project – Sprouting Minds Nutrition Education Programs for urban youth; incorporates nutrition education and the opportunity to learn how to grow, harvest and prepare fresh fruits and vegetables
Family Health Center of Worcester – program provides the diverse, low-income populations of Main South and surrounding areas the education required to make healthy food and free time choices using the Let's Go! 5-2-1-0 model in four of the Worcester public schools
Friendly House – F.U.N. (Fitness and Understanding Nutrition) after-school program to promote making healthy lifestyle choices in regards to exercise and nutrition
Girls, Inc. – Fit Girls program, offering 250 girls in grades K-12 the opportunity to participate in sports and physical fitness programming in addition to nutrition education classes
Jeremiah’s Inn – funding for the nutrition center at Jeremiah's Inn to improve the nutrition level of and health outcomes for center clients
Nativity School of Worcester – Healthy Living Initiative with hands-on activities for inner city low-income middle school boys
Our Father’s House – wellness program for homeless women with substance abuse issues in the Fitchburg area
Rachel’s Table – Children's Milk Fund for low-income kids; estimated to distribute 710 gallons of fresh milk to 21 agencies this year
Rainbow Child Development Center – Commit to Be Fit - Healthy Lifestyle Program for families of preschool children; multi-faceted program that includes gardening, cooking, nutrition education and fitness for the children and their families
Reliant Medical Group Pediatrics Department – Newborn Education Initiative, providing new parents with an important tool to raise a healthy baby and young child, the Caring for your Baby and Young Child, Birth to Age 5 guidebook, available in English and Spanish
Shrewsbury Youth & Family Services – expansion of Let's Go! 5-2-1-0 curriculum in four elementary schools and two middle schools
United Neighbors of Fitchburg/Cleghorn Neighborhood Center – youth-wellness program at a Fitchburg after-school program serving ages 5-18
Worcester Youth Center – Snacking Toward a Healthier Life offers healthy snacks to hungry kids ages 14-24 who come to WYC for programming

Since its grant-making program was refocused in 2008, Reliant Foundation has funded programs at 55 local charities, impacting more than 100,000 individual lives annually.