Middlesex Savings Charitable Foundation completed its twelfth year of community-based philanthropy with two rounds of grants, announced in May and November, totaling $320,300.

The following Natick-based organizations were among the recipients, who gathered for a ceremony of thanks and recognition at the Middlesex Savings Bank operations center in Westborough on November 5:

The Center for Arts in Natick (TCAN) - $15,000 for investment in tools, staff, and collective skills to help identify, cultivate and solicit large gift prospects for philanthropic support. Executive Director David Lavalley represented TCAN at the ceremony.

A Place to Turn - $15,000 to provide emergency food and clothing for families in great social and economic need, with a special emphasis on perishable food items. Executive director Joanne Barry accepted the contribution on behalf of the agency.

Natick Historical Society - $10,000 for documentation of the framing, details, and artifacts of Sawin House, Natick’s first homestead; and to begin planning for relocation, restoration, and reconstruction of the house. Society president Jim Morley spoke on behalf of the organization at the reception.

Natick Visiting Nurse Association (VNA) - $10,000 for purchase of tablet computers that will be used by trained, in-home health practitioners who need immediate access to, and must make timely updates of, patient records. Natick NVA CEO Judi Boyko attended the event and expressed her thanks for the generous contribution.

The Middlesex Savings Charitable Foundation has disbursed more than $3.1 million since its founding in 2000. During 2012, non-profit organizations with locations in 13 communities of MetroWest were recipients of foundation grants that supported a variety of causes including: care for the elderly; food and shelter for lower-income individuals of all ages; health care; legal services; housing; prevention of domestic violence; and assistance for adults and children with special needs.

Other agencies that received grants in the current year were:

•           Boys and Girls Clubs of MetroWest, Framingham Clubhouse:  $15,000

•           Caritas Communities, Bedford Veterans’ Quarters: Case Management and Counseling Support: $7,500

•           Domestic Violence Services Network, Concord; Court Program support:  $15,000

•           Framingham Downtown Renaissance; Main Street Program: $15,000

•           Homeowner Options for Massachusetts Elders (HOME); in-home counseling services to low-income elders encountering home displacement threats: $15,000

•           Making It Happen, Framingham High School; Advanced Placement Program support: $4,500

•           Neighbor Brigade, Wayland; Staffing support for volunteer services in 27 communities: $11,000

•           Reach Beyond Domestic Violence, Waltham; Community-based support services to adults and children who have suffered from domestic violence: $15,000

•           Special Olympics of Massachusetts, Marlborough; Unified Interscholastic Program support: $15,000

•           The Food Project, Lincoln; Hunger relief and youth development: $9,000

•           The Nature Connection, Concord; Transforming the Elder’s Quality of Life project: $6,500

•           Wayside Youth and Family Support, Framingham; Campus transition support: $15,000

•           Boys & Girls Clubs of Assabet Valley, Maynard; “Beyond the Bell” After-School Program support: $15,000

•           Charles River Center, Needham; Funding to support additional residential facility: $15,000

•           Communities for Restorative Justice (C4RJ), Concord; Relief Fund support covering 13 communities : $15,000

•           Families for Depression Awareness, Waltham ; Teen Depression Program support: $15,000

•           Habitat for Humanity of Greater Lowell, Westford; Neighborhood Revitalization Initiative: $15,000

•           Infant Toddler Children’s Center, Acton; Tuition support for low-income, pre-schoolers in Acton, Boxborough, Harvard, and Littleton: $10,000

•           Jewish Community Housing for the Elderly (JCHE), Framingham; Fitness and Wellness Program at Shillman House: $15,000

•           Metrowest Mediation Services, Framingham; Divorce mediation training for volunteers: $4,300

•           Parmenter VNA and Community Care, Wayland; Support for children attending Camp Erin Bereavement program: $10,000

•           Samaritans, Inc., Framingham; Support for computerizing Suicide Crisis Helpline and upgrading teen-to-teen IM chat service: $7.500

•           Jericho Road Project, Concord; Expansion of board training and recruitment program for non-profit organizations to 33 MetroWest communities: $15,000