Harvard is proud to have co-sponsored Cambridge Mayor Sumbul Siddiqui's Mayor’s Winter Support Drive, an initiative aimed at delivering gift cards to Cambridge families in need. Following the lead of Harvard and MIT, other local businesses donated to provide gift cards in $50 increments from restaurants and grocery stores to help offset the impacts of the pandemic.
Many Cambridge families continue to struggle to make ends meet, particularly during the difficult past two years. According to the Cambridge Community Foundation, the bottom quintile of Cambridge residents earns an average of $13,000 per year, while the top quintile earns $343,000 per year. The pandemic has only exacerbated this inequality, and the rising costs of home goods has added an additional strain.
"In Cambridge, one out of every 10 families with children under the age of 18 live below the federal poverty line. The pandemic has only exacerbated this inequity, and the rising costs of food and home goods has added an incredible strain. This small, but meaningful gesture of providing gift cards will help alleviate some of the pressure our most vulnerable residents feel this holiday season," said Mayor Siddiqui.
"Harvard was pleased to help support Mayor Siddiqui, her new initiative and, by extension, the many residents who will benefit from this effort," said Tom Lucey, Harvard's Director of Government and Community Relations. "The University is proud of our ongoing work with the City and its partners to address critical challenges facing our community particularly as we emerge from a unique and complex year."
Excitingly, the initiative provided more than 1,500 gift cards to Cambridge families in need this past December.