Allston organizations reap community benefits

Seven nonprofits that serve the Allston community – in areas ranging from nature conservancy to education to the arts – were awarded a total of $100,000 in community benefits funds Monday evening at a March 6th ceremony at West End House.

“Boston’s a special place because of West End House, because of the kind of organizations getting a check tonight,” said Mayor Martin Walsh, who spoke at the event.

The community benefits funds presented Monday night were generated by the development of the Icon apartments at 75 Brainerd Road. As part of the project’s 2013 approval process, the developer agreed to contribute the money, known as “community benefits,” to organizations that improve the local neighborhood.

Brian Golden, director of the Boston Planning & Development Agency (BPDA), which awarded the checks, noted that the completed 75 Brainerd development is part of the largest 4-year building boom in the history of the City of Boston.

“That provides extraordinary benefits for everybody,” he said.

The West End House, which bustled with kids who gave high-fives and posed for selfies with the Mayor, is just one example of an integral neighborhood institution that has benefited from the boom. The center will be using its community benefits funds to expand its Kids in Motion Cafe, which provides nearly 100,000 fresh meals to neighborhood young people annually. The expansion will include a new teaching kitchen to accommodate cooking classes for youth and families.

See the table below for a complete list of the night’s community benefits recipients.