Help in Westwood, kept confidential.
The Westwood Community Chest is a local nonprofit that has given short term financial help to Westwood residents since 2006.
An independent page by Artemis Realty and Design, not the Chest’s own website.
A fund for neighbors, run by neighbors.
Westwood Community Chest is a 501(c)(3) public charity. It is not part of the town government. It raises money from residents, local businesses and town organizations, and gives it back to Westwood residents who hit a rough patch.
What it helps with
- Medical bills
- Heating bills
- Water bills
- Tax bills
- Rent
- Car repair
- Home repair
- Summer camp
The Chest says it has helped more than 330 families since 2006. Anyone who lives in Westwood can apply directly, and it describes who it helps as residents of all incomes and ages with an unmet need.
The help is short term and tied to a specific problem. A car repair counts when the car is what gets someone to work.
“Board members view applications by number only (for example, ‘Applicant 32’).”
Westwood Community Chest, Apply for Help
How asking for help works
The steps are the Chest’s, the wording is ours.
- 1
Live in Westwood.
Assistance is for Westwood residents. There is no published income cutoff.
- 2
Apply online or on paper.
There is a financial assistance form and a separate campership form, both on the Chest’s site. You can also call 781-366-0470. Apply for help on westwoodcommunitychest.org
- 3
The board reads it without your name.
The application reaches the board as a number, not a name, and everything in it is treated as strictly confidential.
- 4
Staff tell you the decision.
The Chest does not publish how long that takes, so neither do we. One limit worth knowing before you apply: camp fees that have already been paid cannot be reimbursed.
If it is someone you know.
Not everyone who could use this knows it exists. If you know someone in Westwood who is carrying a bill they cannot cover, send them this. It takes a minute and it does not commit them to anything. The application itself is written for the person who needs the help.
The Chest’s number781-366-0470Ways to give.
Give online
Through the Chest’s PayPal Giving Fund page. Donate through PayPal
Send a check
Westwood Community Chest, PO Box 250, Westwood, MA 02090. Donations are tax deductible; the tax ID is on the donate page.
Go to the gala
The Gala of Giving is the Chest’s annual fundraiser. The 2026 gala raised more than $50,000 for grants to Westwood residents. Westwood Minute, April 2026
If the Chest is not the right door.
Four other places for the needs the Chest does not cover. The Chest keeps a longer list on its resources page.
Westwood Food Pantry
Groceries, not money. In-person shopping by appointment on the first Saturday and third Tuesday of each month.
Council on Aging outreach
A town department. Its outreach social worker helps residents with fuel assistance and SNAP applications.
Youth and Family Services
A town department. Confidential counseling, parenting groups and resources for children and families, plus a Holiday Giving Program and a Birthday Giving Program.
Mass 211
A free, confidential line that runs around the clock and connects callers to services across the state.
Why this page is on a real estate site.
Roula Bakis, the broker who founded Artemis, serves on the Community Chest board. That is the whole connection. Artemis has no role in applications, sponsored the 2026 gala, and receives nothing from the Chest. The page is here because a town is easier to live in when people know this fund exists.
Written by Artemis Realty and Design in Westwood. Facts about the Chest come from westwoodcommunitychest.org and Westwood Minute; the other organizations are linked where they appear.
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