The Community Foundation of West Georgia COVID-19 Response Fund, focused on providing food and shelter, has issued a third round of grants to local nonprofit organizations, bringing the current total grants to $40,000 in the four weeks since the fund was established.
The latest grants were issued to the THS Emergency Shelter, a community outreach service for the homeless, which received an additional grant due to a dramatic increase in people seeking assistance. These needs include ongoing opportunities for getting showers, nutritious meals, clothing, and laundry facilities, as well as birth certificates, state IDs, transportation, medical services, temporary shelter and stable housing.
Partners Advancing Student Success, Inc. (PASS), which focuses on improving student success by providing support and services, received a grant for prepaid phone cards. These will help ensure the safety and well-being of students who sometimes live in homes that put them at risk with no means of communicating with their PASS advocates.
Previous grants for food and shelter were made to nonprofits in Carroll, Haralson and Heard counties including Manna House, the Salvation Army, the THS Emergency Shelter, Haralson County Community Christian Council, Heard County Food Pantry, Open Hands Christian Ministry, St. Margaret’s Community Outreach and West Georgia Council on Aging.
“Local nonprofits are telling us that they are making some very hard decisions as they simply can’t meet all the needs that are coming to them right now,” said Kim Jones, president of the Community Foundation.
“Food pantries are serving thousands of our neighbors every week. Haralson County Community Christian Council said they have seen unprecedented demand for food,” she said. “Meanwhile, at Open Hands Christian Ministry this week the mother from a family of 12 told a volunteer, ‘We sure do appreciate all of our medical heroes, but we wouldn’t be eating if it weren’t for Open Hands. Thank you!’”
The Foundation has introduced a brief grant application for local nonprofits to apply for assistance from the COVID-19 Fund in the areas of food, shelter and emergency needs of clients such as utilities. The application is available on the Foundation’s website at www.cfwg.net. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis as long as funds are available. The funds must benefit residents of Carroll, Haralson and Heard counties and the nonprofit must be a 5013c in existence for at least two years.
Donations to the COVID-19 Response Fund are sought and may be made at the home page of the Community Foundation’s website at www.cfwg.net, by text-to-give at “GIVEWESTGA” to 44321, or by check mailed to the Foundation at 807 South Park Street, Carrollton, Georgia 30117.
