Over 40 years ago a generous member of our congregation made a donation to First Parish in Lincoln to provide support for charitable causes both she and First Parish believed in. To qualify the core mission of the organization must be to provide services or advocacy consistent with the original gift, for example; affordable housing, enrichment programs for youth, health and human services, social justice, disaster relief, protecting our natural environment. Since it’s inception the original bequest has provided support to dozens of worthy organizations.
The Outreach Committee is pleased to announce the 2026 recipients:
The Community Day Center of Waltham, a long-time FPL partner organization, is Waltham’s only day shelter open without restriction to Boston Metro-West homeless. It offers a hot mid-day meal and shower/laundry facilities throughout the year and in winter overnight shelter as well. FPL’s 2026 Transformative Innovation Grant of $25,000 will enable hiring of new part-time Housing Sustainability Case Manager, whose responsibility will be to keep tabs on the growing number of guests whom CDCW helps place in housing stock to help ensure that they transition successfully.
Gratis Healthcare, operating from the Framingham Community Church in the center of that city, offers free medical services supervised and staffed by volunteer doctors and a large staff of interns to a burgeoning population of largely immigrant and minority patients from Framingham and surrounding towns. FPL’s 2026 Transformative Innovation Grant of $15,000 will enable Gratis to open a Gynecology section with essential clinical equipment and interpreter services.
Groundwork Lawrence manages a network of 11 urban gardens and programs of environmental education throughout the city, with the aid of a large volunteer work force largely comprised of residents of color including many immigrant groups. In season, it is Lawrence’s largest supplier of fresh produce to the city’s food pantries. FPL’s 2026 Preston Capital Grant of $25,000 is for construction of a composting station at the largest garden and needed repair of fences and irrigation systems.
OARS (Organization for the Assabet, Sudbury and Concord Rivers) is the primary riverkeepers’ organization for this river system, which includes much of the western part of Lincoln. It monitors water quality, with the aid of a trained volunteer work force from the watershed’s 36 communities; partners with towns in the region to improve water regulations throughout the region; and in collaboration with other organizations advocates for removal of obsolescent dams. FPL’s 2026 Preston 2026 Capital Grant of $12,400 is for acquisition of essential water quality monitoring equipment.
