Massachusetts Vending Association Scholarship Fund awards record $70,000 to 19 students

The Massachusetts Vending Association Scholarship Fund, a tax-exempt public charity, announced this week that it has granted $70,000 in scholarship aid.

This year's record amount was awarded to 19 students whose parents are employed by either operator or supplier MVA member companies. The winners were chosen by an independent evaluation committee of professional educators, MVA said.

The top three scholarships were conferred to Chelsea Gibbons, who earned the Allan Gilbert Award, sponsored by Foley FoodService; Cody Dang, who received the Larry Levine Award, sponsored by Vistar; and Tallon Carney, who won the Stephen Foley Jr. Memorial Award, sponsored by PepsiCo Inc. 

Since its inception, the MVA Scholarship Fund has granted $718,950 in student aid. It is supported by voluntary contributions from the member companies and investment income from its funded endowment.

Vending industry veterans Allan Gilbert and Larry Levine are the fund’s founders and key benefactors. The late Stephen Foley Jr., who died unexpectedly as a young adult, is the son of fund chairman Stephen Foley. A graduate of Boston College, Stephen Jr. was a four-year MVA scholarship award recipient.

The Massachusetts Vending Association is made up of individuals, partnerships and companies engaged in the operation of vending machines, micro markets and office coffee service in the Commonwealth. Members also include product and equipment manufacturers, suppliers and distributors. MVA is online at massvending.org.