TDM Church Receives $6,500 Grant to Expand Local Hunger Relief Efforts

MALDEN, Mass. – Food insecurity rose drastically during the pandemic and has yet to decline to pre-pandemic rates as 1 in 6 households and 1 in 5 households with children across the Commonwealth struggle with having enough to eat, disproportionately impacting BIPOC families. Community-based organizations, like TDM Church, have been a critical and steadfast resource, providing a wide variety of food access points for residents. To further local hunger relief efforts in Malden, the nonprofit has received a $6,500 project-based grant from Project Bread.

TDM Church is one of 28 nonprofits to receive unrestricted funds from Project Bread, a statewide anti-hunger organization. Since 2021, Project Bread has granted over $680,000 to nonprofits to support communities hit hardest by COVID-19 and ongoing economic challenges, including Brockton, East Boston, Everett, Fitchburg, Holyoke, Lawrence, Lynn, Lowell, Malden, Mattapan, New Bedford Quincy, Randolph and Worcester. This fall, Project Bread launched the Pathways to Change grant, distributing an additional $58,500 to TDM Church and 8 other nonprofits in the same communities to recognize and support their work to address food insecurity and the underlying economic and racial inequities that contribute to it.

With this project-based funding, Project Bread aims to support the creation of spaces for community conversations and engagement around food access that will strengthen relationships between individuals and food programs, support collaboration, and achieve positive social change. The funds can be used to pay for community facilitators, art supplies, compensation for conversation participants, and other activity-related expenses.

“Connecting people with sustainable solutions not only brings immediate relief but also provides agency and empowers people in the long term. We learned that solutions must come from the people closest to the problem,” says Adriana Mendes-Sheldon, Director of Community Partnerships of Project Bread. “We continue to learn from and invest in our community partners because of their strength in creating local, sustainable solutions. Supporting our community partners, like TDM Church, is one of our key strategies for ending hunger statewide.”

In Malden, TDM Church is using the Pathways to Change grant to launch the BELONG Project, a new initiative focused on encouraging people to connect with each other and receive information that improves their living conditions, reaching every area of their lives. The target is to promote conversations and connection with the immigrant community and offer solutions for improving well-being and safety through meetings, dinners, encounters with families and teens, community picnics, and TED talks like gatherings.

“Our aim with the BELONG Project is to promote social engagement within the immigrant community and offer an open environment for discussions and learnings to empower individuals and families to prevent food insecurity in that community,” shares Sara Teixeira, the executive director of the BELONG Project. “As a Christian institution, we believe our mission is to be relevant and impact our community using all our resources to build a better world. Letting our lights shine is about making a difference in others’ lives, and our mission is to manifest the love of God in every available way.”

Since before the pandemic, Project Bread has been leading Massachusetts’ response to an ongoing hunger crisis that affects thousands of residents statewide, such as supporting school and community meal sites and running the Commonwealth’s only statewide hotline that connects residents with a range of food resources, from SNAP assistance to information on food pantry hours and locations. The nonprofit works closely with legislators and other elected officials as well as in partnership with government agencies, including the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and the Department of Transitional Assistance, to increase access to and participation in federal nutrition programs, such as SNAP and free school meals.

People experiencing food insecurity should call Project Bread’s toll-free FoodSource Hotline (1-800-645-8333), which provides confidential assistance to connect with food resources, including SNAP benefits, in 180 languages and for the hearing impaired. For more information, visit: www.projectbread.org/get-help.

About TDM Church

Our vision is to proclaim the kingdom of God to the last person of earth. We follow the following vision: Go and preach the gospel (Mark 16:15). We invest in families and missions. Our primary focus is loving our neighbor. Our mission is to preach the word of God to everyone and see people become devout followers of Jesus.

About Project Bread

Project Bread is the leading statewide anti-hunger organization in Massachusetts. Beginning in 1969 with the first Walk for Hunger, the nonprofit focuses on driving systemic change to ensure people of all ages have reliable access to healthy food. Project Bread works collaboratively across sectors to create innovative solutions to end hunger and improve lives across the Commonwealth. For more information, visit: www.projectbread.org.

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