People United Financial : Beverly Bootstraps Receives Donation from People’s United Community Foundation of Eastern Massachusetts to Assist with Pandemic-Related Challenges Since their inception as a food pantry in a church basement, Beverly Bootstraps has been providing essential aide and support to families...

BEVERLY, MA- Since their inception as a food pantry in a church basement, Beverly Bootstraps has been providing essential aide and support to families in need. In the three decades since then, the mission has been expanded to include helping families attain stability, sustainability, and self-sufficiency. People's United Community Foundation of Eastern Massachusetts, the charitable arm of People's United Bank, donated $10,000 to help support the agency in their continued efforts to help families with emergency needs and long-term assistance.

The donation will provide support for the agency's general operations and infrastructure needs and provide the necessary flexibility to evolve and change with the various client needs that have come from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Beverly Bootstraps provides emergency and long-term aid to families which includes food, housing stability, as well as educational resources for youth and adults. Recently, the agency announced that they have expanded their service area in Essex County. They will now aid citizens in the towns of Essex, Hamilton, and Wenham along with their current towns of Beverly and Manchester by the Sea, which they were serving prior to the expansion.

"We are grateful for the donation provided by People's United Community Foundation of Eastern Massachusetts," said Sue Gabriel, Executive Director of Beverly Bootstraps. "With this donation, we can continue to provide these critical resources and expand our services to help more families in need."

Over the years, People's United Community Foundation of Eastern Massachusetts has donated over $100,000 in grants to Beverly Bootstraps to assist the agency in achieving its mission.

"We are pleased to be able to make another contribution to the noble mission of Beverly Bootstraps, who have done an extraordinary job of meeting the increased needs in our communities," said Patrick Sullivan, Massachusetts President, EVP of People's United Bank and Officer of the Foundation. "In these unprecedented times, their work is vital to helping families."

About People's United Community Foundation of Eastern Massachusetts
The mission of People's United Community Foundation of Eastern Massachusetts is to strengthen its communities and enhance the quality of life for residents who reside in them through funding to eligible non-profit organizations. Serving as the philanthropic arm of People's United Bank in Eastern MA, the primary areas of focus include social, health, youth services, education, affordable housing, arts and culture, and low- to moderate-income individuals. People's United Bank, N.A. is a subsidiary of People's United Financial, Inc., a diversified, community-focused financial services company headquartered in the Northeast with more than $65 billion in assets.