2011 Emerging Needs Fund Grants Awarded

We have recently made a special community allocation investment to meet critical needs.  $25,000 from our Emergency Needs Fund has just been awarded to several local agencies.
Good Samaritan Family Services, Northwest Michigan Community Action Agency (NMCAA), and the Salvation Army have all received grants earmarked specifically for emergency utility assistance. 
In addition, grants have been made to three additional programs.  These include our new Benefits Access Initiative, Manna Food Project’s new Food Rescue project, and NMCAA’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program.  The Benefits Access Initiative is a new program intended to help low-income residents improve their financial stability by accessing a range of private and public benefits for which they qualify.  Manna is seeking funds to purchase a vehicle to expand the recovery and distribution of surplus food from restaurants and stores.  The grant to NMCAA will allow the agency to continue and expand this important program that not only helps low-income and senior citizens file their taxes, but helps them apply for Earned Income and other tax credits. 
 “We are very pleased to be able to provide additional funding at this time,” says Therese Green, Chair of our Allocation Committee.  “During last spring’s Community Investment Allocation process, we set aside a small percentage of the available funds into an Emerging Needs Fund. This fund gives us flexibility to meet community needs that might arise in between our annual investment cycle.”
“The Emerging Needs Fund was conceived to meet new needs or to fund promising new solutions to existing needs.  With the continued economic challenges our community faces, all of these projects will help families improve their financial stability,” continued Green.
The funds have been made available to all agencies immediately for use within the next three months.
“We were able to provide this special funding because we had such a successful campaign last year,” says Executive Director Martha Lancaster,.  “Last year we raised a record amount of funds and this enabled us to invest a record amount of money back into the community.  As the community need is greater than ever, we hope that we will be able to maintain this level of investment again this year.  However, that will only be possible if we reach our current campaign goal of $380,000.” Donate Now.