Who We Help

ThinkGive’s mission is to inspire young people to use kindness to engage with the world around them. A multi week program implemented in local schools, curriculum for the program helps students break down stereotypes of fellow students and connect one on one.
https://www.thinkgiveproject.org/

Concord Art has been a home to the visual arts since 1917 and is one of the oldest and most vital visual art organizations in the country, offering exhibitions, classes, workshops, lectures, and programming for residents of Concord and Carlisle. In addition to its exhibits and workshops, Concord Art offers onsite art education opportunities with local preschools and Concord-Carlisle High School.
https://www.concordart.org/

Discovery Museum was founded with the mission to inspire curiosity and the love of learning through hands-on learning, exploration, and scientific investigation.
https://www.discoveryacton.org/

Mass211 connects Massachusetts residents to information about critical health and human services available in their community. The confidential service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week all year long by dialing 2-1-1 from any phone or visiting mass211.org and is available in translation in 140+ languages.
https://mass211.org/

FISH, an all volunteer organization, provides transportation service to and from medical appointments in or near Concord, for Concord residents who are unable to drive for various reasons.
Louise S. Haldeman, President
978-369-8562

Nashoba Learning Group offers a school for children and a day program for adults with Autism Spectrum disorders. The adult day program serves individuals with more severe needs than are generally accommodated at other adult day programs through job and social training, and other activities.
https://nashobalearninggroup.org/

The Carlisle COA is dedicated to serving senior citizens and assisting their families and friends with aging issues. In cooperation with other organizations, the COA serves both elders who are well and those with some degree of frailty.
www.carlisle.org/coa

The Center for Parents and Teachers provides high-quality, low-cost workshops, training sessions, and forums for parents and teachers. Programs address topics relevant to children of all ages, from preschool through high school. The organization also maintains a lending library of curriculum materials for early childhood teachers.
www.centerforparentsandteachers.org

The Community Services Coordinator assists families or individuals in Concord and Carlisle with information, referral or assistance. The position was established and fully funded beginning in 2004 by the Concord-Carlisle Community Chest, and is managed by the town of Concord. All services are confidential and free.
Bonny Wilbur, Community Services Coordinator
bwilbur@concordma.gov; 978-318-3034

C4RJ promotes the practice of restorative justice, an alternative to the traditional judicial system. C4RJ’s trained volunteers work with young offenders, victims and supporters, convening in circles to discuss harms done and measures that can make amends and heal the community as well as those harmed. Police refer appropriate cases to circles, which have dealt with trespassing, shoplifting, vandalism and minor-in-possession cases, among others.
www.c4rj.com

CAPA is a professional organization made up of area preschool teachers and directors. Its scholarship fund makes preschool possible for some families who otherwise could not afford for their children to attend.
Anita Stevanazzi-Hill
ahill@concordma.gov; 978-318-3045

The Concord Children’s Center provides quality year-round care and early childhood education for over 200 children starting at ten weeks of age. Programs serve infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and after kindergartners at three locations in Concord—each of which offers a nurturing and stimulating environment in which a child can build the skills needed for growth in all aspects of development.
www.concordchildrenscenter.org

CCACE provides opportunities for lifelong learning to the citizens of the school district and surrounding towns. CCACE responds to community needs and interests, calling upon local people and organizations to develop and coordinate programs and services for children, adolescents and adults throughout the year—making schools available for extended-day educational use for Concord and Carlisle residents, and promoting and supporting school and town projects that cannot be funded or presented in traditional ways.
www.concordcarlisleace.org

The Concord Council on Aging works to improve the quality of life of Concord’s citizens who are over the age of sixty. The COA strives to assist them in maintaining dignity, independence, and their role as full participants in the life of the community. The COA makes every effort to provide seniors with opportunities that enhance their physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual well-being.
https://www.concordma.gov/916/Council-on-AgingSenior-Services

Implemented in 2018, this program works primarily with the Concord Middle Schools to provide a positive role model to students, develop collaborative relationships, and help at-risk students.
Concord Police Department
(978) 318-3400

The Concord Recreation Department Summer Camp provides a daily program filled with activities ranging from sports and games, tennis and swimming lessons, to arts and crafts, archery, and field trips.
https://summercamp.concordma.gov/

Cooperative Elder Services’ mission is to enable frail elders to remain in their own homes and communities for as long as possible. It offers a structured and supervised day program in Concord that includes skilled nursing services, therapeutic recreation, a full nutrition program including snacks and hot lunch, counseling services and much needed respite to families.
http://www.elderdayservices.org/Services-Concord/

The Domestic Violence Services Network (DVSN) grew out of a needs assessment conducted by the Concord Carlisle Community Chest in 1995. DVSN offers unconditional support to families in Middlesex County living with domestic violence. Staff and highly trained volunteers listen sensitively to callers, assess the level of risk, identify options of action and refer callers to confidential sources. It has been documented that 7.5% of all calls to police in one unnamed privileged town in MetroWest Boston are related to domestic violence, including elder abuse, child abuse and spousal abuse. Further, it is estimated that approximately 50% of all domestic violence cases go unreported. Concord and Carlisle residents are fortunate to have DVSN available to support our most vulnerable community members.
www.dvsn.org

Eliot Community Human Services is a non-profit human service agency with a network of 80 programs and services including residential, social, and vocational programs, ombudsman services, consultation, education and training, as well as outpatient mental health services. The Eliot network is committed to serving the most vulnerable of populations, those who are most at risk and have limited or no resources to access help. Each day the network serves over 1,500 children, adolescents, families, adults and seniors in 55 communities.
www.eliotchs.org

Dignity In Asylum provides safe transitional housing and community support services to people seeking asylum who are at risk of homelessness, abuse and trafficking in the Boston area.
https://www.dignityinasylum.org/

English at Large provides individual and small group instruction through a volunteer network to adult immigrants and other newcomers who want to acquire English language skills. One-to- One Tutoring, Conversation Groups, and Career Access Lab programs are designed to help immigrants acquire the communication knowledge and skills they need to take advantage of opportunity, apply for jobs, achieve their potential, and fully engage in life in the US.
https://www.englishatlarge.org

First Connections is a family resource center whose mission is to provide comprehensive, quality, parenting support services to families with children birth through school age. Some of the programs offered by First Connections include: facilitated playgroups, parent support groups,educational seminars, home visits, challenging child support, weekend activities, adoptive family support. The programming at First Connections is aimed at enhancing parent-child interactions through education, modeling and support as it has been documented that young children’s earliest experiences and environments set the stage for future development and success in school and life.
https://www.firstconnections.org/

Gaining Ground grows organic vegetables and fruit with the help of thousands of community volunteers and donates all of this fresh food (approximately 100,000 pounds of produce each growing season) to area meal programs, shelters, schools, and food pantries.
www.gainingground.org

Household Goods provides a full range of donated furniture and household items, free of charge, to help people in need make a home. We accept donations of gently used household items. As a volunteer based organization, we depend on the generosity of community members for goods, time and financial support. Please consider supporting us so that we can continue to achieve our mission.
https://householdgoods.org/

MWLS provides free civil legal advocacy to protect and advance the rights of the poor, elderly, disabled, and other disenfranchised people. MWLS assists eligible persons in 36 communities in securing access to basic needs and in challenging institutional barriers in order to achieve equal justice for all—advocates represent battered victims in contested family law cases, defend tenants to prevent them from becoming homeless, advocate in schools for children with special needs, help elderly and disabled people in obtaining disability, welfare and medical benefits, and assist people making the transition from welfare to work. The MWLS staff represents approximately 2,200 low-income and elderly clients each year.
www.mwlegal.org

Minute Man Arc is committed to enhancing the quality of life for people with developmental disabilities of all ages.  We strive to enhance their inclusion in the community, to maximize personal choice and decision making, and to support them in reaching their full potential in all areas of their lives.  Agency programs include Early Intervention, Family Services, Recreation activities for children and adults, and Adult Services (Employment, Residential, Adult Family Care, Shared Living, and Day Habilitation). During fiscal year 2010, more than 1,000 individuals and their families received services from one or more of the agency programs.
www.minutemanarc.org

Minuteman Senior Services helps elders and others with long-term care needs to remain in their own homes, safe, comfortable and independent, for as long as they are able, and to support their caregivers as they face the challenges presented by the competing needs of family, work and self. Minuteman offers information and referral, care management, nursing home screening, Alzheimer’s services, respite care, and meals-on-wheels.
www.minutemansenior.org

The Nature Connection provides tailored, traveling nature-based therapeutic care and educational programs to people with disabilities, at-risk youth and elders with memory loss. The Nature Connection serves over 300 clients at nine sites, including MinuteMan Arc and Concord Park Assisted Living.
www.nature-connection.org

Open Table is an all-volunteer organization founded in 1989 in Concord by a group of citizens who saw the need to provide hunger relief for local area citizens. All who came were offered a hot meal and groceries, “no questions asked.” Today, Open Table Concord serves more than 100 guests of all ages each week, including families with young children as well as seniors.
www.opentable.org