Empire Loan of New England is pleased to announce its first major gift through its charitable foundation: a $125,000 donation to The Mattapan Community Health Center (MCHC). Owner and CEO of Empire Loan, Michael Goldstein, a third generation pawnbroker, said, “We and Mattapan Community Health Center share a strong commitment to our neighbors and communities. On behalf of Empire Loan, we are proud to support the Center which will mark its 40th year with the opening of a state-of-the-art health facility in the Summer of 2012.”
The new 50,000 square foot Mattapan Community Health Center (MCHC) will be located on Blue Hill Avenue in Mattapan Square. The $34 million dollar facility will allow the Center to double the number of patients it serves, and triple patient visits. The only such facility in Mattapan and Hyde Park, MCHC served more than 7,100 people through 28,000 visits last year. For the first time, the new Center will be able to provide mammography services on site, and its expanded laboratory will allow MCHC to run more tests.The growth of Empire Loan since the opening of its flagship store in 1985 on Washington St., in Boston’s South End, speaks to the appeal and importance of the service it provides. The second Empire Loan store opened in Providence in 1989. The New Bedford Empire Loan followed in 1991, and the Worcester Empire Loan store opened in 1999. The second Providence store, specializing in musical instruments, opened in 2006. Empire Loan also operates a store in Stoughton, MA.The business of the pawn broking industry dates back to early Chinese, Greek and Roman civilizations. Empire Loan has found success through respectful customer service and sensitivity to the growing cultural and linguistic diversity of the Greater Boston area.