A local contractor and the Framingham Co-operative Bank Charitable Foundation teamed up recently to help a local non-profit organization dedicated to helping mentally ill residents find work keep its doors open.

A grant from the bank and the work of contractor PJN Co. helped Programs for People, a group offering day treatment and employment services to low-income MetroWest residents recovering from severe mental illness, clear overgrown trees from its property. Self-supported for the past 37 years, and operating on a tight budget, the agency’s future was in financial jeopardy after notice from the town that the three-story-high trees surrounding its building had to be removed for safety reasons.

"Thanks to financial assistance from the Framingham Co-operative Bank Charitable Foundation and excavation provided by PJN Company, our doors will remain open," Programs for People Director Iris Carroll said in a statement. "We are grateful for the help that the Foundation and PJN Company provided," Carroll added.  "The people we serve are like family to us, and there is no other agency that does what we do."

The Program for People grant was included in the total of $71,650 in community support awarded by the Framingham Co-operative Bank Charitable Foundation during its most recent round of funding. Since it was established in 1998, the Foundation said it has donated more than $2 million to charitable causes as part of its commitment to improve and enhance quality of life for local residents.