December 27, 2021 Submitted by the Town of Hingham
Town Administrator Tom Mayo and Director of Elder Services Jennifer Young are pleased to announce that the Town of Hingham has been awarded a $10,000 American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) grant through South Shore Elder Services to help address Hingham senior resident food insecurity.
The funds from the grant are to be expended by April of 2024, and the first use of the grant took place last week with the distribution of $10 Stop and Shop gift cards to Hingham seniors.
The gift cards were given to each senior apartment with a resident 60 years old or older at both the Lincoln School Apartments and the Hingham Housing Authority’s Thaxter Street Apartments ahead of the Christmas holiday. One gift card was given per unit, and the distribution aided approximately 150 individuals or households in the community.
Gift cards were distributed to seniors at the Lincoln School Apartments on Wednesday, Dec. 15 and at the Thaxter Apartments on Thursday, Dec. 16.
The Town sought to find a way to use the funds that would help a portion of the senior population that might not otherwise seek needed assistance during the holiday season. Ways for how to use the remaining portions of the grant funding are currently being planned.
“While a $10 gift card might not seem like much, it can make a big difference for seniors living on fixed incomes this time of year,” Director Young said. “The Town thanks South Shore Elder Services for securing these funds, and for the management of these two apartment complexes for coordinating the distribution of the gift cards so we could provide assistance to so many seniors in our community.”