News

WCAC Celebrates Community Action! Join us in celebrating the promise of community action, our incredible VITA volunteers and a chance to check out Polar Park! Read more here.

Although the worst of cold weather appears to be behind us, Worcester Community Action Council, Inc. (WCAC) knows many households are still struggling financially due lost or reduced wages as the result of COVID. Many households are also experiencing increased utility usage because they are working from home or have children doing remote learning. WCAC has announced that the deadline to submit applications for utility/home heating assistance has been extended until May 28, 2021. WCAC will host two outdoor sites for interested applicants.  Read more here.

This month we’d like to focus on teamwork, specifically, working on our team! If the COVID19 pandemic has proven one thing, it is how much stronger we are when we work together. I am proud of how our team has adjusted to the challenges created by the pandemic over these past twelve plus months and pulled together in a united (yet socially distanced) effort to support those in need. I invite you to consider joining our team in one of several key roles available across the spectrum of our programs. Read more here.

Fallon Health has awarded Worcester Community Action Council, Inc. $5,000 to support the agency’s Virtual Food Pantry. The grant was awarded as part of Fallon’s mini-grant program to support food assistance programs for those areas or populations that are particularly vulnerable to food insecurity, especially those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Read more here.

The Worcester Community Action Council Job and Education Center (JEC) is now accepting applications for the 2021 YouthWorks Summer Jobs program. Worcester’s program was established to create summer jobs for inner city youth between the ages of 14 and 21. Deadline to apply is May 14th! Read more here.

Employee volunteers from MAPFRE Insurance are supporting WCAC’s Head Start program with the establishment of a ‘virtual library’. Prior to the COVID19 pandemic, volunteer Book Buddies regularly visited WCAC’s two centers to share a story with children. While current health and safety currently prevent classroom visitors, the new virtual library will allow teachers and staff access to a variety of storytimes featuring books pre-selected by Head Start staff to coordinate with ongoing classroom lessons and activities.  View WCAC’s MAPFRE Virtual Head Start Book Buddies Library here.

Worcester Community Action Council’s Head Start program is actively recruiting with enrollment now available for fall 2021 for children birth to age 5. The center based preschool program for ages 3-5 is available in Southbridge and Webster, while a home based program serves expectant mothers and children from birth to age 3. Read more here.

Worcester Community Action Council, Inc. will hold a meeting of its Board of Directors on Monday, April 12, 2021 at 5 p.m. via Zoom teleconference. Full agenda available here. Meetings are open to the public. Please contact Ellen Ganley for teleconference information.

Springing forward together. Celebrating the impact we as a collective community can make when we pool resources, time, and talent. Together we do better. Read more here.

The Worcester Together fund recently announced $1 million in Reimagining Grants to six local nonprofits. Worcester Community Action Council was awarded $175,000 to support the delivery of services to Southbridge and surrounding communities. A joint effort between the Greater Worcester Community Foundation and the United Way of Central Massachusetts, and in close partnership with the City of Worcester, Worcester Together has provided over $10.6 million in the last year to Central Massachusetts nonprofits working to help families facing issues such as lost income, unstable housing, food insecurity, and more. The Reimagining Grants are the Fund’s final phase of grant making. Read more here.