Mutual One Bank Content

The MutualOne Charitable Foundation has awarded $5,000 to support a new Hoops & Homework community playground on Interfaith Terrace. The existing Interfaith playground had been deemed unsafe, out of compliance, and was off-limits as recreation space until improvements were made.

According to Foundation Chairman Robert P. Lamprey, the MutualOne grant allowed the purchase of a set of swings for the children’s enjoyment at the new playground.

“We are pleased to join other community partners in helping to establish, build, and maintain a safe and inclusive recreation area for the youth served by the popular Hoops & Homework program,” said Lamprey. “It is an investment we are happy to make.”

With its recent $5,000 grant, the MutualOne Charitable Foundation was honored to serve in a sponsorship role for the second annual MetroWest Conference For Women held recently at the Sheraton Framingham.

The event attracted over 600 attendees, and offered an agenda designed to inspire, connect, and motivate women on the move through life and career paths. A full menu of keynote speakers and panelists covered a variety of topics including career advancement, personal and professional transitions and development, effective use of technology, financial management, and life skills.

“We were pleased to be asked to support this timely event focused on the success of all local women,” said Mark R. Haranas, president and CEO of MutualOne Bank and a MutualOne Charitable Foundation trustee. “There is great value in bringing together the MetroWest community of women, and in providing a format that is both informative and educational in a variety of areas of interest and importance.”

Mark R. Haranas, president and CEO of MutualOne Bank and a MutualOne Charitable Foundation trustee, announced today that the Foundation has awarded $10,000 to the Framingham Police Department to support the continuation of a Knock, Talk and Toss (KTT) program designed to reduce the number of unused prescription and over-the-counter drugs available for circulation in the community.

“This program was so successful last year, there was no question that we would support it again this year,” said Haranas. “The funds will allow the KTT team to continue to educate the community at large about the danger of keeping unused drugs in the home, expand their door-to-door efforts to collect unused drugs, and increase access to drug take-back kiosks.”

Focused initially on the Downtown/South Framingham area, the KTT pilot program last summer reached over 2,000 people via multilingual materials, removed 33 pounds of unused drugs from the community, and involved hours of door-to-door visits by police officers and community representatives. Outreach efforts stressed the dangers of opiates and other harmful drugs, provided the opportunity to dispose of unused drugs, and distributed information about resources readily available in the community. This year’s efforts will include reaching housing department units that have not yet been contacted, revisiting housing department units contacted last year, and begin door-to-door outreach to homes outside the housing department units.

Mark R. Haranas, president and CEO of MutualOne Bank and a MutualOne Charitable Foundation trustee, has announced a $10,000 Foundation grant to the Boys & Girls Clubs of MetroWest in support of out-of-school programs at the organization’s Framingham Clubhouse on Clinton Street.

The Clubhouse provides a safe and supervised environment during out-of-school time for youth ages 6-18, with a specific emphasis on ensuring access to programming for those from low- to moderate- income circumstances.

“We are pleased to support the Boys & Girls Clubs’ mission to give its members the tools that they need to be the best that they can be and to give them the opportunity to reach their full potential,” said Haranas.

 

A $5,000 grant from the MutualOne Charitable Foundation will help volunteers at The First Baptist Church in Framingham provide “Happy Birthday, Baby” baskets for 80 to 100 families welcoming newborns to the local community.

According to Program Coordinator Lorna J. Mailhoit, the baby baskets are distributed to needy mothers through the Framingham Coalition, local high schools, the Early Childhood Alliance of Framingham, Healthy Families, Friendly House, Edward M. Kennedy Community Health Center, MetroWest Medical Center, SMOC, WIC, local food pantries and various church members.

The baskets include infant clothing items, baby blankets, and assorted childcare supplies, as well as community resource information for new parents.

“We are pleased to support this volunteer outreach project,” said Mark R. Haranas, president and CEO of MutualOne Bank and a MutualOne Charitable Foundation trustee. “It is a perfect example of what it means to be a good neighbor.”

Steven M. Sousa, executive vice president and chief operating officer of MutualOne Bank and a MutualOne Charitable Foundation trustee, has announced a $5,000 Foundation grant to Daniel’s Table in Framingham.

The grant request was supported in a letter from two Framingham eighth graders, Kevin and Jake, who have been Daniel’s Table volunteers since age 12.

“We go every Saturday and make bagged lunches that are given out to people that are homeless in Framingham. We think making lunches is important, but we want to do more,” the boys wrote. They added that they wanted to “help buy a piece of cooking equipment that will increase food production to get more meals to people in need.”

Daniel’s Table Founder/Executive Director David Blais identified the “cooking equipment” as a 40-gallon braising kettle that will enable the non-profit to increase production capacity by 300 meals per day, 9,000 meals per month. The goal, Blais said, is to eventually provide 1,500 meals per day to Framingham citizens facing food insecurity. With food donations from multiple resources including the Greater Boston Food Bank, Wegmans, and Whole Foods, Daniel’s Table prepares and distributes full, healthy meals throughout the community.

“We’d like to thank volunteers Kevin and Jake for prompting us to help Daniel’s Table expand and enhance nourishing food opportunities for all those in need,” said Sousa. “We are pleased to have a role in making that possible.”