BUZZARDS BAY, Mass. – The Massachusetts Military Support Foundation announced Monday that it has secured $1.9 million in federal funding for a new organization headquarters and food bank distribution center in Norton.
The foundation said the funding was part of the federal bipartisan omnibus budget signed by President Joe Biden on Dec. 29, 2022. The foundation supports veteran and active military members and their families in need.
The foundation says it will be purchasing and renovating the abandoned Tweave Mill property in Norton on Barrows Street and will convert it into its new headquarters and food bank distribution center. A mill building on the property in 2020 was destroyed by fire. According to Colliers International, the property is 24.7 acres in size.
Once the new headquarters and distribution center is constructed, the foundation will have the ability to supply more than 25 partner food pantries, shelters and senior centers with food. The planned facility will also have a commercial kitchen to be utilized as both a jobs training facility for veterans and a volunteer space for veterans to prepare meals for the organization’s Meals 4 Our Mission ready-to-eat meals program, the foundation said.
Also, Patriot Farms, an on-site garden planned for the land surrounding the Tweave Mill, will be used for the foundation’s farmers market program. The program, the organization said, will be a source for community service projects for students at local high schools, Wheaton College and community service groups.
“The relocation of operations and the creation of a central food bank distribution center will allow [the foundation] to continue to meet the needs of veterans, active-duty military, and their families in Massachusetts,” Foundation CEO and President Don Cox said in a statement.
James Bessette is the PBN special projects editor, and also covers the nonprofit and education sectors. You may reach him at Bessette@PBN.com. You may also follow him on Twitter at @James_Bessette.
