Page 12 THE REVERE ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2022 Citizens Bank Renews Partnership with Feeding America to Fight Hunger Commitment will support local efforts in Greater Boston BOSTON (September 8, 2022)– F or the fi fth consecutive year, Citizens has joined forces with Feeding America, the nation’s largest domestic hungerrelief organization, contributing more than $1 million as a Leadership-level partner to further broaden and deepen its eff orts to help fi ght hunger. The renewed relationship builds on a successful four-year partnership which has brought funding into local markets and seeded Feeding America’s Ending Hunger program. This year’s funding is primarily categorized as equitable access grants, which aim to increase access to nutritious food among households with individuals who are Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) residing in communities experiencing high food insecurity rates. “For millions of people in America, a daily meal isn't a choice between diff erent dishes. FOOD | SEE Page 15 SAFETY | FROM Page 9 with stakeholders and union groups and development of a series of Requests for Proposals (RFQs) designed to provide support for MBTA staff . The MBTA is targeting the end of the week to issue RFQs directly related to the scope of the Offi ce. With a goal of the T’s workforce fully embracing a safety-fi rst culture and adopting its practices for sustained improvement, the T’s unions and MBTA leadership, including the General Manager, began meeting at the end of last week in order to engage these groups on workforce safety communications and meetings on safety themes and issues. Also, based on the FTA’s concerns regarding the MBTA’s ability to balance larger capital projects and day-to-day maintenance, MassDOT will lead an engagement with a consultant to investigate the potential benefi ts of a multi-modal large construction unit apart from the MBTA and other agencies of MassDOT that would develop, design, construct, and deliver large capital assets to the operating agencies, relieving them from the burden of managing large capital projects while also trying to maintain day-to-day maintenance. The MBTA has already employed this type of project management with the Green Line Extension and South Coast Rail projects, as they are separate projects reporting directly to the General Manager, but this new engagement will investigate the opportunities to expand this model. Today, Governor Charlie Baker is fi ling a supplemental budget that includes $200 million for the MBTA to provide additional resources towards addressing the FTA’s safety directives and ensuring a safe, reliable transit network for its riders. The supplemental budget also includes $10 million for MassDOT, in collaboration with the MBTA, to develop a training academy to create a talent pipeline to address the staffi ng challenges at the MBTA. Over the last several months, the MBTA has continued to make progress on the FTA’s initial safety concerns through safety plans to address track conditions and maintenance, updated safety trainings and directives, and has addressed staffing shortages. The MBTA has met all the FTA’s deadlines and requirements to date in response to the four special directives issued. For more information, please visit mbta.com or connect with the T on Twitter @MBTA, Facebook /TheMBTA, or Instagram @theMBTA.
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