Today the Episcopal Community Foundation for Middle and North Georgia (ECF) announces it will grant $88,600 to eight organizations that are lifting people from poverty and oppression in the Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta. The grants – which go into effect this month – will be made to Calvary Refuge, Inc.; the Cathedral of St. Philip; Central Outreach and Advocacy Center; Church of the Ascension; Macon Volunteer Clinic; New American Pathways, Inc.; Nicholas House, Inc.; and Sandy Springs Mission, Inc.
“With this current round of grants, ECF continues to support strong parish ministries throughout the Diocese of Atlanta that work to combat issues related to poverty and oppression,” said the Right Rev. Robert C. Wright, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta. “These programs exemplify work that demonstrates and encourages Episcopalians to compassionately serve the community and grow spiritually.”
ECF’s fall 2017 general grant recipients:
- Calvary Refuge, Inc. has received a grant of $8,000 to provide mattresses and a washer and dryer for its new facility which will allow Calvary Refuge to serve an additional 44 clients each night at their homeless shelter. The new facility was built to address the specific need of bed space for males 11-17 accompanied by their mother, fathers with children, and married couples. Calvary Refuge has a close to 25-year partnership with the Episcopal parish of St. Augustine of Canterbury in Morrow. The parish continues to provide financial support, in-kind donations, evening meals for clients, volunteer labor, and has engaged Calvary Refuge’s executive director, Tawana Tarno, in several education series at the parish.
- Central Outreach and Advocacy Center (Central OAC) has received a grant of $10,000 to provide ID services in partnership with Church of the Common Ground. Central OAC works with people who do not have identification when they are released from prison; identification is required for employment and housing, and without these critical components the risk of recidivism is significantly increased. The unique partnership between Central OAC and Common Ground provides an opportunity for people recently released from prison to receive both vital services as well as pastoral care that acknowledges the specific needs and challenges of this community.
- Church of the Ascension in Cartersville has received a grant of $30,000, one of the largest ECF has ever granted, to expand the reach of their Red Door Food Panty with mobile pantry service to the Allatoona area. Through newly created partnerships with BLESS (a faith-based volunteer organization in Cartersville) and the Allatoona Resource Center (an organization managed by Bartow County Government), Red Door Food Pantry has made a ten-year commitment to provide resources, education, and information to the Allatoona community in south Bartow County (32% living below poverty level) in addition to Red Door’s services already provided in downtown Cartersville.
- New American Pathways, Inc. has received a grant of $10,000 to expand their vocational counseling program for refugees. This program offers clients career counseling, workshops, professional mentoring, school/training program enrollment assistance, and advanced skill job placement services. Since starting this program in 2014, New American Pathways has noticed a higher-than-anticipated demand among refugees who received employment services as new arrivals and are ready to pursue higher career goals. New American Pathways has partnered with the Refugee Ministries Program at All Saints Episcopal Church in Atlanta for over a decade, which not only co-sponsors refugee families, but also mentors parishes new to co-sponsoring.
- Nicholas House, Inc. has received a grant of $15,000 for case management services at their housing programs. These case management services will be provided alongside funding from the City of Atlanta for rental support, providing services for homeless families and children to obtain housing and support over the next year. Nicholas House was founded as a mission of St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church in Atlanta, and the parish continues to be deeply involved with Nicholas House through financial support and significant volunteer opportunities, including providing meals and tutoring for the families at Nicholas House.
- Sandy Springs Mission, Inc. has received a grant of $7,000 to implement a new program which provides ESL and computer training courses to parents of low-income Hispanic students, specifically with the goal of helping the parents better communicate with their children’s schools and assist with homework. Our Lady of Guadalupe, the Hispanic mission of Highpoint Episcopal Community Church (HECC), was founded out of the community brought together by Sandy Springs Mission, which was a longtime ministry partner of Church of the Atonement (precursor to HECC).
ECF’s Q3 2017 Small Acts of Charity recipients:
- The Cathedral of St. Philip in Atlanta has received a grant of $4,500 to fund transportation costs related to the 2017 Homeless Requiem which took place on November 1, 2017. The Cathedral’s Homeless Requiem and Dinner remembers those who have died while homeless in Atlanta; the event offers hospitality to and builds bridges with neighbors who are homeless and the organizations who serve them. With recent changes regarding the Peachtree-Pine shelter in downtown Atlanta, which previously funded transportation, ECF’s funding provided bus transportation to the Cathedral’s homeless guests, creating an opportunity for even more organizations to partner with the Cathedral than in years past.
- Macon Volunteer Clinic has received a grant of $4,175 to cover diagnostic services for its patients, particularly Hepatitis C patients who have received donated medication and require extensive testing over the 12-week treatment period. The Macon Volunteer clinic provides free primary medical and dental care, as well as medication assistance, to uninsured, working adult residents of Bibb county. The clinic has a robust partnership with St. Francis Episcopal Church in Macon which supports the clinic financially and provides many volunteers to both work with clients at the clinic and serve as ambassadors at events around Macon.