The goal of the Organizational Development grant program is to help local nonprofits strengthen their operations and increase their effectiveness. Sometimes, even modest investments can yield significant results.

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul (SVDP) faced a major challenge when their walk-in cooler became inoperable. Without it, they were unable to accept the full amount of fresh produce available from the Worcester County Food Bank—only taking what they could store safely.

Instead of replacing the costly compressor, SVDP identified a more affordable solution: installing a standard air conditioner and a CoolBot device to regulate temperature. With a grant of just $1,800 from the Community Foundation, they were able to bring their walk-in cooler back online.

The results were remarkable. SVDP is now able to store over 11,000 pounds of fresh produce and more than 1,000 pounds of milk from the Food Bank. With this increased capacity, they’ve also been able to source an additional 5,700 pounds of produce, 2,000 pounds of bakery items, and 700 pounds of deli products from other vendors—dramatically expanding their ability to serve the community.