Black Giving Circle Fund Awards Two Grants to Support Food Delivery and Home Improvement Projects for Residents in Need

The Black Giving Circle Fund at the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving has approved two grants to local nonprofit organizations. One grant will help purchase a commercial vehicle to deliver hot meals; the second provides home safety modifications for older adults and people with disabilities.

The Black Giving Circle Fund awarded a $20,000 grant to The Brooks Token, Inc. to support the “Operation Token” program which currently delivers hot meals three nights per week to disabled seniors their caregivers, and fire victim families who are currently living in local hotels. Today, the program relies on volunteers who use their own cars to make deliveries to ten areas within the Hartford region. Buying a commercial van will allow The Brooks Token to expand its service area and serve more residents, as well as to accept larger food donations and reduce the amount of food that they need to purchase each year.

“Humbly we serve, as our number one goal is to ensure that families are eating with dignity, providing service with a smile, and hugs of hope!” said The Brooks Token founder Quentesia Guinyard. “We are so very grateful to the membership of the Black Giving Circle at the Hartford Foundation for helping us to expand our services and achieve our goals.” 

The Black Giving Circle Fund also awarded a $10,000 grant to Rebuilding Together Hartford for their Critical Home Repair (CHR) program. The program provides home modifications for older adults and people with disabilities to improve home accessibility, reduce the likelihood of falls, increase independence, and facilitate aging-in-place. The effort focuses on emergency needs of Hartford homeowners, providing improvements such as wheelchair ramps, stair glides, shower grab bars, and toilet versa frames. This program ensures residents have access to hot water, heating, and cooling which are integral to creating safe and healthy homes. More than 90 percent of the families and seniors served are ethnic minorities, immigrants, as well as low-income homeowners.

“As chair of the Black Giving Circle Fund, I am pleased to announce the latest round of grant recipients from the fund,” said Black Giving Circle Fund Steering Committee Chair, Chris Cloud. “After a thoughtful and deliberate process, we are delighted to announce grants to two community organizations, Brooks Token, Inc., and Rebuilding Together Hartford. I applaud these organizations for the tremendous work that they do to improve the lives of people throughout the community.”

The mission of Black Giving Circle Fund is “to create sustainable change in the Black community by leveraging the philanthropic efforts of donors and celebrating Black philanthropy.” Membership of the Black Giving Circle Fund is open to everyone. Donations from members (at least $365 annually per membership) are pooled together in a dedicated endowed fund at the Hartford Foundation. Members of the fund examine issues facing Greater Hartford’s Black community and, collectively, recommend grants to nonprofit organizations that work to address them.

For more information, or to join the Black Giving Circle Fund, visit hfpg.org/blackgivingcircle or contact Ramonita Garcia at RGarcia@hfpg.org.

The Hartford Foundation for Public Giving is the community foundation for Hartford and 28 surrounding towns. Through partnerships, the Foundation seeks to strengthen communities in Greater Hartford by putting philanthropy in action to dismantle structural racism and achieve equity in social and economic mobility. Made possible by the gifts of generous individuals, families and organizations, the Foundation has awarded grants of more than $948 million since its founding in 1925. For more information, visit www.hfpg.org or call 860-548-1888.