
Grants aim to boost food stability and community wellness

BOSTON (June 27, 2025) – Acting on behalf of WinnCompanies, the Connected Communities Foundation (CCF) has coordinated successful applications that led to more than $60,000 in grant awards through the MassHousing Food and Nutrition Program, benefiting seven affordable housing communities owned by WinnCompanies in Massachusetts.
The funding will support a range of resident-driven programs focused on increasing access to nutritious food, enhancing community garden infrastructure, and expanding food education efforts.
Awarded sites and their initiatives include:
- Coes Pond (Worcester) – $10,000 Enhancing accessibility in existing garden areas and providing farmers market vouchers for residents.
- Heritage House (Cambridge) – $10,000 Expanding current community gardens and offering educational programming on nutrition and food justice.
- 99 Kent Street (Brookline) – $10,000 Revitalizing a year-round greenhouse space to grow fresh produce and address food insecurity.
- Mission Main (Boston) – $5,000 Hosting healthy family dinners and delivering food education workshops for youth and families.
- North Village (Amherst) – $6,222 Launching a farmers market produce program to bring fresh food directly to residents.
- Wellington Redevelopment (Medford) – $10,000 Creating a community garden and launching the “Fully Belly Foods” program to promote healthy eating.
- The Village at Brookline (Brookline) – $10,000 Establishing shared and individual garden plots throughout the property.
“These grants reflect the commitment our teams have made to health equity and food access,” said Melissa Madera, team lead at Connected Communities. “The work happening at these sites is driven by residents’ needs and passions, and we’re excited to see these projects come to life.”
“These grants reflect the heart of our mission—to advance housing stability, health, and opportunity by supporting resident-driven solutions,” said Mai Dang, president of the Connected Communities Foundation. “Access to nutritious food is fundamental to thriving communities, and we’re proud to have supported this effort through coordination, partnership, and on-the-ground leadership.”
The MassHousing Food and Nutrition Program supports resident-led efforts at affordable housing communities that reduce food insecurity, improve access to healthy food, and build local capacity through community-driven initiatives.
About the Connected Communities Foundation
The Connected Communities Foundation (CCF) is a private, nonprofit foundation that helps owners of multifamily properties develop and implement collaborative strategies that have measurable, positive effects on the lives of residents of low-income and affordable housing. As one of the nation’s largest providers of housing-based supportive services, CCF delivers a collective impact approach to community development, focusing on collaborative strategies that drive measurable outcomes for individuals and families in six categories: Community Engagement, Economic Mobility, Education, Employment, Health, and Housing. Learn more at connectedcommunitiesfoundation.org.
About WinnCompanies
WinnCompanies is an award-winning owner, developer and manager of high-impact, quality apartment homes, supported by 4,500 team members in 27 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. The company is known as a leading manager of multifamily apartment communities, operating the nation’s largest portfolio of affordable housing with a groundbreaking resident services platform. Its community development work focuses on creating and revitalizing mixed-income properties through environmentally sustainable new construction and pioneering adaptive reuse techniques. The company has also been a top manager of privatized housing for members of the U.S. Armed Forces and their families since 2001. Founded in Boston in 1971, WinnCompanies is a family-owned, private company. Learn more at WinnCompanies.com.
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