7 The Fund for Urgent Needs Another way to help those in need is ManyHelpingHands365, a network established by CCF board member Lori Lander that supports volunteering in the city. It has developed the Martin Luther King Day of Service into one of the largest events of its kind in New England, bringing together volunteers of all ages to provide warm clothing for homeless residents, Valentine’s cards for local seniors, and help to stock food pantries. The network has also joined other organizations to support a gun buyback program. For this organization, Cambridge Community Foundation has served as fiscal sponsor, providing a range of financial duties for a new organization that doesn’t yet have the scale to cover these responsibilities. It is a way the Foundation can support important work or values the Foundation wants to advance. The organization can be reached online at manyhelpinghands365.org Residents gather at beginning of Martin Luther King Day. Photo courtesy of ManyHelpingHands365. Many Hands On Deck Preparing for an uncertain future An anonymous donor family that has steadfastly supported the Cambridge Community Foundation established the Urgent Needs Fund to help the community’s nonprofits cope with anticipated changes in federal funding for social programs. It has been pointed out that even a comparatively small cut to a major program such as Medicaid could cause a ripple effect across nonprofits as the Commonwealth cuts its support of local programs for those in need and for immigrants in order to fill a Medicaid needs gap. The Urgent Needs Fund will meet emergency and unanticipated need and support organizational restruc- turing required to deal with changes in public funding that will affect the delivery of essential services. Understanding that restructuring an organization and redirecting its energies takes time and money, our donors wanted to help the community’s nonprofits maintain the integrity of their missions under changing circumstances. Their foresight reflects a grasp of community needs and nonprofit finance that marks the Cambridge donor, whose concern for the community is both compassion- ate and subtle, and with whom we are proud to work. The Power of Personal Legacy Additional support for those in urgent need came from a friend of the Foundation. When long-time Cambridge resident Maurice Anderson died last year, he left two important legacies. The U.S. veteran and former teacher was a writer and editor. He co-founded the Writers of Color Work- shop at the Cambridge Senior Center, where his memory is cherished. He also made two bequests to benefit the community he loved. The gift was sparked by Maurice’s distress at signs of poverty in Central Square—more hands held out for help. So, when he heard about the Foundation, he followed up. “I looked up the Cambridge Community Foundation and knocked on their door,” said Maurice. Maurice established an outright bequest and a beneficiary designation working with the Foundation and entrusted it with his concerns. Following his wish, this bequest will strengthen the Foundation’s Urgent Needs Fund. Initial grants from this fund will be made in the upcoming year.