Several Boston health centers to hand out CharlieCards loaded with $5 each

With a grant from the Boston Foundation, the MBTA says it will provide CharlieCards to several Boston community health centers in neighborhoods where residents might otherwise have trouble getting one of the fare cards.

The East Boston Neighborhood Health Center, Mattapan Community Health Center, South End Community Health Center, Uphams Corner Health Center, and Whittier Street Community Health Center will each get 1,000 CharlieCards, each loaded with $5 in value, to distribute, the T said today, adding the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers helped put the program together.

In a statement, T General Manager Steve Poftak said:

Too many of our customers have difficulty getting CharlieCards. This is especially true in transit-dependent communities where bus service is often the predominant mode of transportation. With today’s partnership announcement, we are addressing this issue by making CharlieCards more widely available and making taking the T more accessible.