The latest Wellesley, Mass., charity news:

Food Pantry seeks cyclists for fall Ride for Food

Wellesley Food Pantry is seeking participants for its largest fundraising opportunity of the year–Three Squares New England’s 12th annual Ride for Food, which will take place on Sunday, Oct. 1 at Noble and Greenough School in Dedham. WFP needs participants, as well as donors
and volunteers, to ensure a successful event. Registering for the event costs $85.

Participants choose to ride 25 or 50 miles, complete a 5-mile walk, or they can create their own virtual fundraising event. People can also donate directly to the Food Pantry team. In previous years WFP has raised thousands of dollars through this event to ensure it can offer nutritious food options to its approximately 400 Wellesley clients. The goal this year is to raise $20,000.

The Food Pantry has seen donations decline as the pandemic has receded, says Peter Lull, president of Wellesley Food Pantry.

If you have any questions, please contact the pantry at manager@wellesleyfoodpantry.org.

Foundation for MetroWest accepting applications to Youth in Philanthropy programs

The Foundation for MetroWest is now accepting student applications to its 2023-2024 Youth in Philanthropy programs, including one for those living or learning in Wellesley that runs from January-May, 2024.

Youth in Philanthropy offers high school students the opportunity to develop leadership, critical thinking, and collaboration skills while giving back to their community. Designed for students entering grades 9-12, programs meet one evening a week during the fall or spring semester. Participating students work together to identify community needs, learn about local nonprofits, and make funding decisions that have a direct impact on youth in the MetroWest region.

The Foundation will offer three programs this fall, including a new Framingham-based program, and two programs in the spring of 2024.

To learn more or apply, students can visit yipmetrowest.org. Students interested in the fall programs are encouraged to apply before the fall priority deadline on June 30. Following the fall priority deadline, admission is rolling throughout the summer, based on availability. The priority application deadline for spring 2024 programs is Oct. 31.

Leukemia & Lymphoma Society scores $10K

Weymouth’s Lallis & Higgins Insurance has awarded a $10,000 donation to Wellesley’s Leukemia and Lymphoma Society New England, an organization dedicated to supporting research to cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease, and myeloma and to improve the quality of life for patients and their families. The award will help fund monthly stipends to community members battling cancer, counseling for those with cancer, and grants to scientists.

Freshmen Fresh Start thankful for Wellesley Hills Junior Women’s Club grant

Freshman Fresh Start is a Wellesley Hills non-profit that provides essential dorm room and school supplies to low-income, high-achieving college-bound freshmen, helping to lessen financial burdens and ease the transition to campus life.

We are so pleased to have been approved for a grant from the Wellesley Hills Junior Women’s Club. This grant will allow us to provide two Wellesley METCO students with the goods they need for campus living, allowing them to begin their post-secondary education on a more even playing field with a much-needed sense of confidence during a vulnerable time. We believe that a Freshman Fresh Start award is one of several factors that help students attain the ultimate goal: college graduation.

Thank you to the Wellesley Hills Junior Women’s Club for being a part of our work.

Ruth Weinstein and Susan Tofias

Co-Founders, Freshman Fresh Start

‘Give & Game’ at Babson raises $20,000 for Greater Boston Food Bank

More than 300 people took part in an event dubbed “Give & Game” at Babson College that involved teams competing for funds to support causes such as mental health, food insecurity, animal advocacy, climate change, and pediatric cancer.

Babson senior Dylan McNamara’s Synpact venture was behind the fundraiser, which gamified the support for and education about charities, and in the end the event awarded $20,000 to the Greater Boston Food Food Bank.

Metrowest Women’s Fund announces total of $170,000 in grants awarded to 17 nonprofits

The Metrowest Women’s Fund has announced the following grant recipients:

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Mass and Metrowest—mentoring programs for girls
Boys and Girls Club of MetroWest—girls’ mentorship and self-esteem enhancement programs
Center for Women & Enterprise—entrepreneurship training for women with low to moderate incomes
Dignity Matters—free access to period protection for unhoused and economically disadvantaged women and girls
DOVE, INC—healthy relationships and dating violence prevention program for teen girls
Family ACCESS of Newton—services for multi-lingual women and their children who have experienced trauma
Family Promise Metrowest—support for mothers and teens at risk of homelessness pursuing advanced education
Living in Freedom Together—financial support for survivors of the sex trade
MassBay Foundation—support for financial emergency needs via the MWF Initiative for Single Mother Students
MetroWest Legal Services—legal representation for victims of domestic violence from low-incomes