“Poverty is the original pandemic,” says Sharon Scott-Chandler, who was named the first woman president and CEO of Action for Boston Community Development (ABCD) last summer. “It’s an incredible motivator and reason to get up every morning, to know that you are part of that fight to get people access to the things they deserve.” … READ MORE
Financial literacy – having the financial knowledge to understand money and your options for budgeting, saving and investing it – sounds like an essential education for any adult. But according to a December 2023 report by Ramsey, only 17% of U.S. adults said they took a personal finance class in high school, even though 72% of U.S. adults believe they would…
Your very own hoop dreams Ever wonder what it would be like to shoot hoops on the Celtics’ historic parquet floor? A week from this Wednesday — on Sept. 21 at 6 p.m. — the 11th annual Hoop Dreams takes place, the charity basketball tournament to raise money for human services nonprofit ABCD at TD Garden. I recently spoke with the…
Some service providers seek outside support amid inflation, growing population Title X, the government-supported family planning service that has helped low-income Americans access reproductive health services since 1970, served 193.5 million people during its first 50 years. But funding for the program has been flat at $286.5 million for nine straight years, including in fiscal 2023, despite a growing population,…
You might think that with significant advances in clean energy happening every year, these technologies would be easily accessible regardless of class or background. Unfortunately, like so many other things, such access has historically been concentrated in Boston’s more affluent neighborhoods. Now, ABCD’s Climate Equity and Impact (CE&I) department is working to reverse this decades-long trend and bring innovative energy…
Lines at food pantries and soup kitchens normally grow around this time of year, but the pandemic has doubled them, aid workers say. With an unprecedented amount of need, relief centers are pooling their resources to make sure everyone is fed, though it may not be enough. ICNA Relief, a Muslim charity in Roxbury, has started a delivery service for…
Committed to strengthening our food security program, ABCD has several new initiatives underway. In February, upon completion of Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES) funding, ABCD received a $250,000 grant from the Office of Community Services (OCS) to continue our Food Delivery Program in partnership with Stop n’ Shop that was established during the height of COVID. Our Food Delivery Program is featured in an OCS Freedom from Hunger Initiative video,…
Amid growing concerns about living expenses, declining incomes and inflation, Boston residents are experiencing increased food prices, insecurity and inaccessibility. Approximately 1.8 million Massachusetts residents, 32% of the state’s population, struggled with food insecurity in 2021, according to a survey conducted by the Greater Boston Food Bank. Nick Owen, program director of food insecurity at Action for Boston Community Development,…
As the coronavirus continues to impact jobs and the economy, food insecurity is rising in Massachusetts, and food assistance programs are seeing more people look to the federal government for help feeding their families. The anti-poverty agency ABCD reports 10,000 families coming to its food pantries since mid-March, compared to 4,000 families seeking help most years. The ABCD pantries get…
ABCD, Action for Boston Community Development, a Boston community organization, has launched a pilot program providing free, 24/7 access to reproductive health supplies through vending machines at three of its program sites, according to a report by The Bay State Banner. The machines are stocked with condoms, safe-sex kits, STI tests, pregnancy tests, emergency contraception and menstrual hygiene products. “For these…