New & Noteworthy

November 05, 2018

Hartford Foundation Awards $560,000 in Grants to Support Food Programs, Other Basic Services

As the state and local municipalities continue to reduce funding for human services programs due to ongoing fiscal challenges, the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving is awarding grants totaling $560,000 to 69 nonprofit agencies that provide food and other basic human needs to residents throughout Greater Hartford.

Basic Human Needs grants support both regional and local agencies in Bloomfield, Bolton, East Hartford, Ellington, Enfield, Farmington, Glastonbury, Hartford, Hebron, Manchester, Newington, Rocky Hill, Simsbury, Tolland, Vernon, West Hartford, Wethersfield and Windsor. Grants range between $3,000 and $20,000 and are primarily funded through the Beatrice Fox Auerbach Foundation Fund at the Hartford Foundation and Foundation discretionary funding. The size of each grant was determined by the type and scope of the program. The majority of the grants —more than $300,000—were awarded to agencies for use in food programs to support current needs as well as food services during the upcoming holidays. Other services supported by the grants include emergency housing, fuel assistance, medical and dental services, employment counseling, clothing and other personal care items.

“When individuals and families cannot afford to pay for groceries, housing, medical care or utilities, it is incredibly challenging for children to perform in school or adults to go to work each and every day,” said Hartford Foundation Community Investments Officer Dawn Grant. “Providing resources for these needs is a fundamental part of the Hartford Foundation’s mission to support the residents of Greater Hartford.”

Here are two examples of the types of programs providing vital services to residents through the region.

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Operation Fuel has provided year-round energy assistance statewide to nearly 160,000 households since it began in 1977. More than half of the recipients are elderly, children under the age of 18, premature infants and people with chronic illnesses. This year, Operation Fuel is receiving a $20,000 Basic Human Needs Grant from the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving to support its work.

For the past 41 years, generous donors and community partners have made it possible for Operation Fuel to keep the heat and electricity on for countless Connecticut families and individuals. Operation Fuel further recognized that low- and moderate-income households are especially vulnerable to increasing water utility and sewer costs and has begun a water assistance program to respond to the increasing needs in the community. A home with no running water is considered uninhabitable. Without assistance, these households are in danger of having their water shut off. Since the program started in April 2018, Operation Fuel assisted 111 households with water assistance grants.

“We are incredibly grateful for the generous continued support from the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, which is especially needed at this time of year. The Holidays can be extremely stressful for families and individuals who struggle to pay for basic necessities such as heat, electricity, and water,” said Brenda Watson, Operation Fuel’s Executive Director. “This grant will allow us to help many struggling households who have nowhere else to turn for assistance.”

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For over 35 years, the Cornerstone Foundation has provided food, clothing and shelter to thousands of residents in in the Vernon area. This year Cornerstone has received a $10,000 Hartford Foundation Basic Humans Needs to assist the organization in its work. Relying predominantly on the efforts of dedicated volunteers, the Foundation provides help to the community with a soup kitchen, two shelters, a food cupboard, clothing bank, and youth/outreach center. The Cornerstone Foundation has grown from operating a soup kitchen in one building to five separate operations in four buildings on Prospect Street and School Street in Rockville, Connecticut.

“Cornerstone’s primary endeavor is to improve the quality of life among the people we serve,” said Cornerstone Foundation Board President Angela Atwater. “Over the years, we have become a trusted grassroots provider of social services that make the communities we serve better places to live. We are truly grateful for the ongoing support from the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, which helps us to continue to assist local residents.”

Hartford Foundation 2018 Basic Human Needs Grants

Billings Forge Community Works	Food Assistance	Frog Hollow	$4,000	To support the double SNAP coupon program for the summer farmers market and winter market.
Bloomfield Public Schools as fiscal agent for Laurel Family Resource Center	Multi-services	Bloomfield	$3,000	To support food, diapers, clothing, childcare, safety equipment and other basic human needs of families at the Laurel Family Resource Center.
Bridge Family Center, Inc.	Multi-services	West Hartford	$4,500	For food, transportation, children's supplies and other basic human needs at BFI Charter Oak Family Resource Center in West Hartford.
Bridge Family Center, Inc.	Health/ Mental Health	Greater Hartford	$8,500	For mental health services for clients at the Bridge Counseling Center.
Cathedral of Saint Joseph	Food Assistance	Hartford	$4,500	For the food pantry.
Catholic Charities, Inc.	Multi-services	Hartford	$4,500	For clothing and other basic human needs of students at Thirman Milner School.
Catholic Charities, Inc.	Multi-services	Hartford	$5,500	For support of basic human needs of clients.
Catholic Charities, Inc.	Multi-services	Hartford	$18,500	For food, transportation, children's supplies, and other basic human needs at four BFI family centers in Hartford.
Charter Oak Health Center	Health/ Mental Health	Greater Hartford	$6,500	To increase access to health services and responding to other basic needs of homeless, uninsured clients and other underserved populations within the 29-town Greater Hartford region.
Chrysalis Center	Food Assistance	Hartford	$7,500	To support case management services provided by the Freshplace Program.
Church of Christ, Congregational	Multi-services	Newington	$4,000	For the Newington food bank and emergency needs fund, including energy assistance.
Community Health Resources	Multi-services	Enfield	$3,000	For food, clothing, diapers and other basic human needs of families with children at the Enfield location.
Community Health Services, Inc.	Health/ Mental Health	Greater Hartford	$5,500	For basic medical supplies and other basic human needs of uninsured patients from the 29-town Greater Hartford region.
Community Renewal Team	Multi-services	Greater Hartford	$8,500	To support food purchases and basic human needs of shelter residents at the McKinney and East Hartford Shelters.
Community Renewal Team	Multi-services	Hartford	$4,500	For basic needs of residents at the Generations affordable housing for grandparents raising grandchildren, including housewares, grocery gift cards, school clothing/uniforms, winter coats, and school supplies.
COMPASS Youth Collaborative	Multi-services	Hartford	$4,000	For clothing and other basic needs of students at the Burns Latino Studies Academy (a Hartford community school).
Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness	Multi-services	Greater Hartford	$6,000	To support the basic human needs of children in the shelter program.
Connecticut Radio Information System	Accessibility	Greater Hartford	$3,500	For radio services for the blind or print disabled at assisted living centers, health care facilities, nursing homes, individual and group homes in the Greater Hartford region.
Cornerstone Foundation, Inc.	Multi-services	Greater Vernon	$10,000	For the soup kitchen and shelter services.
Covenant to Care for Children	Multi-services	Greater Hartford	$5,500	To provide school uniforms and services through the Critical Goods Program for children in the 29-town Greater Hartford region.
New Covenant United Methodist Church	Multi-services	East Hartford	$2,000	For the holiday dinner, gifts and gift cards.
East Hartford	Food Assistance	East Hartford	$15,000	For the food pantries.
East Hartford	Clothing	East Hartford	$3,000	To support the 2019 Back-To-School Shoe program.
End Hunger Connecticut! Inc.	Food Assistance	Greater Hartford	$5,500	For outreach services.
Enfield Food Shelf	Food Assistance	Enfield	$9,000	To support the purchase of food for the food pantry.
Enfield Loaves & Fishes, Inc.	Food Assistance	Greater Enfield	$9,500	For food and support of food programs.
Family Life Education, Inc.	Multi-services	Hartford	$5,500	For food, transportation, children's supplies, lead paint poisoning prevention, and other basic needs at the BFI family center.
Gifts of Love	Multi-services	Greater Hartford	$9,000	For the food pantry, clothing, energy assistance, and other basic human needs services.
Farmington Valley VNA	Multi-services	Farmington Valley	$3,500	For basic human needs services.
First Choice Health Centers	Health/ Mental Health	Greater Hartford	$5,500	For medical and dental services for uninsured and underinsured patients from the 29-town Greater Hartford region.
First Church of the Living God	Food Assistance	Hartford	$4,500	For the food pantry.
Foodshare, Inc.	Food Assistance	Greater Hartford	$15,000	For food services and to support the collection and distribution of fresh food through the Mobile Foodshare program.
Glastonbury	Multi-services	Glastonbury	$4,000	For assistance with medical supplies, winter coats and boots, and other basic human needs of clients.
Glory Chapel International Cathedral	Food Assistance	Hartford	$4,500	For the food pantry.
Grace Episcopal Church	Food Assistance	Hartford	$4,500	For the food pantry.
Hands on Hartford	Multi-services	Hartford	$12,000	For food and other basic human needs of clients served by the MANNA program.
Hartford Food System, Inc.	Food Assistance	Hartford	$10,500	For urban food security programs in Hartford including the Grow Hartford urban agriculture program.
Hartford Gay and Lesbian Health Collective	Multi-services	Greater Hartford	$8,500	To support health, psychosocial and other basic human needs of clients.
Hartford Interval House, Inc.	Multi-services	Greater Hartford	$11,000	To support basic human needs of shelter residents and for shelter services.
Hartford Rescue Mission	Food Assistance	Hartford	$3,500	To support the soup kitchen.
Hebron Interfaith Human Services	Food Assistance	Hebron	$3,000	To support the food pantry and other basic human needs of clients.
Hispanic Health Council	Health/ Mental Health	Greater Hartford	$5,500	For health access and cancer support services, as well as other basic needs of clients.
Hockanum Valley Community Council, Inc.	Food Assistance	Vernon, Ellington, Tolland	$15,000	For the emergency food pantry and other basic human needs for Vernon, Ellington and Tolland.
Hopewell Baptist Church	Multi-services	Windsor	$4,500	For the food pantry and other basic human needs of food pantry clients.
Horace Bushnell Children’s Food Pantry	Food Assistance	Hartford	$8,500	For food pantry services.
House of Bread	Food Assistance	Hartford	$11,000	To purchase food for Kids' Café and other community kitchen programs.
House of Bread	Multi-services	Hartford	$9,000	For the Jubilee House to support Refugee and Immigrant family services.
Immacare	Multi-services	Greater Hartford	$13,000	For emergency shelter and supportive housing.
Jewish Family Services	Multi-services	Greater Hartford	$8,000	For the food pantry, emergency fuel, other basic human needs of clients, and to increase client access to food assistance, insurance and other government programs
John J. Driscoll United Labor Agency, Inc.	Multi-services	Greater Hartford	$7,500	To support employment services for residents in the 29-town Greater Hartford region, as well as the emergency food bank.
Latino Community Services, Inc.	Food Assistance	Greater Hartford	$9,000	To support the food pantry and other basic needs of clients from the 29-town Greater Hartford region.
Loaves and Fishes Ministries, Inc.	Multi-services	Greater Hartford	$13,500	For the soup kitchen and the jobs program.
Malta House of Care	Health/ Mental Health	Greater Hartford	$8,000	For mobile clinic services and basic needs of patients in Greater Hartford.
Manchester Area Conference of Churches, Inc.	Multi-services	Manchester, Bolton, Vernon, Rockville	$15,000	For the food pantry and other basic human needs.
Mercy Housing and Shelter Corporation	Multi-services	Hartford	$11,000	For Friendship Center and basic human needs programs at St. Elizabeth House.
My Sisters' Place	Multi-services	Hartford	$11,000	For child care and other basic needs of families in the supportive housing program.
Network Against Domestic Abuse	Multi-services	Connecticut	$5,500	For emergency needs of families in the Tracy Thurman Shelter.
Open Hearth	Multi-services	Greater Hartford	$12,000	For food, toiletries, securing client identification and other personal documents, as well as other basic needs of Open Hearth clients.
Operation Fuel, Inc.	Fuel/ Energy Assistance	Connecticut	$20,000	For utility assistance.
Planned Lifetime Assistance Network of Connecticut	Multi-services	Connecticut	$3,500	For services provided to elderly and disabled residents who have lost a caregiver.
Rocky Hill	Fuel/ Energy Assistance	Rocky Hill	$3,500	For the emergency fuel and energy assistance program.
Saint Francis Hospital & Medical Center	Food Assistance	Greater Hartford	$5,500	For the emergency food bank.
Services for the Elderly of Farmington	Multi-services	Farmington	$3,500	For the support of programs providing meals, transportation and other basic human needs to senior citizens.
Shiloh Baptist Church	Food Assistance	Hartford	$3,500	For the soup kitchen, food pantry and basic human needs.
Simsbury	Food Assistance	Simsbury	$4,000	To purchase food and increase food sustainability among low- income residents.
South Park Inn	Multi-services	Greater Hartford	$12,000	For shelter services, including food, toiletries, bus tokens, bedding and other basic human needs.
St. Augustine Church	Food Assistance	Hartford	$5,500	For the food pantries at St. Augustine and St. Anne's.
The Salvation Army Southern New England Division	Multi-services	Greater Hartford	$10,500	For the Emergency Material Assistance Program.
Union Baptist Church	Food Assistance	Hartford	$5,500	For the weekend breakfast program.
Village for Families & Children, Inc.	Multi-services	Greater Hartford	$4,000	To support basic human needs of children in residential care.
Village for Families & Children, Inc.	Multi-services	Hartford	$5,500	For food, transportation, children's supplies, lead paint poisoning prevention and other basic human needs at BFI RAMBUH Family Center.
Village for Families & Children, Inc.	Multi-services	Hartford	$5,000	For clothing and other needs of students at Fred D. Wish Museum School (a Hartford community school).
Warburton Community Church	Food Assistance	Hartford	$4,500	For the food pantry.
West Hartford	Food Assistance	West Hartford	$5,000	For the food pantry.
Wethersfield	Multi-services	Wethersfield, Hartford	$6,500	For the purchase of food for Wethersfield Food Bank ($4,500) and transportation, school uniforms, diapers, and other basic human needs of families with children ($2,000).
Windsor Community Service Council d/b/a Windsor Food and Fuel Bank	Food Assistance	Windsor	$4,500	For the food pantry and fuel bank.
YWCA Hartford Region, Inc.	Shelter Assistance	Hartford	$11,000	For shelter and basic human needs services.

The Hartford Foundation for Public Giving is the community foundation for Hartford and 28 surrounding communities. Made possible by the gifts of generous individuals, families and organizations, the Foundation has awarded grants of more than $720 million since its founding in 1925. For more information about the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, visit www.hfpg.org or call 860-548-1888.