Legendary Legacies awarded $150K for workforce program employing previously incarcerated individuals
Photo I WBJ File
As part of its response to COVID-19, Legendary Legacies started a grocery delivery program for Black communities.
Legendary Legacies, a Worcester-based gang rehabilitation and re-entry nonprofit, has received a $150,000 boost from the state to support its workforce development program aimed at addressing community food insecurity while employing those previously incarcerated.
The award, provided through the Massachusetts Executive Office of Economic Development, in combination with funding from the Reliant Foundation and the Fred Harris Daniels Foundation, both in Worcester, will allow Legacy Legacies to continue its Legacy Transport initiative, which hires re-entering employees to transport food from the Worcester County Food Bank to six neighborhood pantries, according to a Thursday press release.
“Legacy Transport is about stability, purpose, and second chances,” Ronald Waddell, executive director of Legendary Legacies, said in the release. “Our participants are doing work that strengthens neighborhoods and restores dignity in their own lives. This funding ensures we can continue offering that opportunity, and we are grateful to the Executive Office of Economic Development, Reliant Foundation, and Fred Harris Daniels Foundation for their partnership.”
Legacy Transport delivers more than 1.8 million pounds of food each year to more than 7,000 monthly households.
Funding for Legendary Legacies comes as Waddell said the Worcester Food Bank is struggling to provide enough food for the community amid looming federal cuts to food benefits.
“This puts additional stress on your workforce to provide the same amount, if not more services, with less resources, which is a recipe for burnout,” Waddell previously told WBJ.
Through the program, Legacy Transport participants learn hard skills, including inventory management, route coordination, vehicle operation, in addition to soft skills, such as decision making.
“The young men from Legendary Legacies are essential to our distribution,” Clyde Talley, food distribution program coordinator at Yes We Care, said in the release. “This past year alone, they helped us move 276 tons of food, making it possible to feed more than 1,000 people each week. They are a vital part of our team.”
Legendary Legacies utilizes the Ohio Risk Assessment System within the workforce initiative: a framework used to assess the risks and needs of adults with a history of incarceration. Using a restorative justice lens, the nonprofit uses ORAS to connect participants with housing support, recovery services, and community resources.
“Worcester County Food Bank is proud to support Legacy Transport’s workforce pathway. Their model strengthens our distribution of food to local pantry partners while it equips returning citizens with real skills, paid experience, and a clear runway into stable jobs benefiting families and the broader Worcester economy,” Jean McMurray, CEO of Worcester County Food Bank, said in the release.
In fiscal 2023, Legendary Legacies generated $1.06 million in revenue and held $407,594 in assets, according to nonprofit financial tracker GuideStar.
Mica Kanner-Mascolo is a staff writer at Worcester Business Journal, who primarily covers the healthcare and diversity, equity, and inclusion industries.
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