Foundation announces $450,000 emergency community grant

December 8, 2009

Rhode Island Community Action Programs (CAPs), Rhode Island Community Food Bank, Salvation Army Good Neighbor Energy Fund share $450,000 to help Rhode Islanders face tough challenges

At the Rhode Island Community Food Bank (left to right), Major David Dunham, Salvation Army; David Hirsch, chairman, The Rhode Island Foundation; Neil Steinberg, president & CEO, The Rhode Island Foundation; Ben Lessing, executive director, Family Resources Community Action; Michael Ryan, regional president of National Grid and chairman, Salvation Army "Warm Thy Neighbor" campaign; Joanne McGunagle, president of the Rhode Island Community Action Association (RICAA) and executive director of Comprehensive Community Action; Paula McFarland, executive director of RICAA; and Andrew Schiff, chief executive officer, Rhode Island Community Food Bank.

More than 1,300 needy Rhode Island families will receive utilities and heating assistance. Nearly a thousand will receive emergency housing assistance and critical prescription assistance. And more than 250,000 pounds of food will be made available to the increasing number of Rhode Island families who must rely on emergency food pantries and soup kitchens.

This is the expected impact of a $450,000 emergency community grant that was announced today by Rhode Island Foundation President and CEO Neil Steinberg. The grant will be shared by the following organizations serving clients statewide: eight Rhode Island Community Action Programs (CAPs), $250,000; the Rhode Island Community Food Bank and the Salvation Army Good Neighbor Energy Fund, $100,000 each.

“We saw the need to be responsive in these unusually stressful economic times,” noted Steinberg, who made the announcement today at the Rhode Island Community Food Bank. “Thanks to the generosity of the hundreds of Rhode Islanders with funds at the Foundation, we are uniquely positioned to make these emergency dollars available for food, shelter, heating assistance and other basic necessities."

At East Bay Community Action (left to right), Peter Damon, Rhode Foundation board member; Susan Schenck, chief operating officer, East Bay Community Action Program; Joyce Botelho, philanthropy officer, Newport County Fund, The Rhode Island Foundation; and Dennis Roy, chief executive officer, EBCAP.

Steinberg said the Foundation board of directors had targeted these agencies because, “they have a long track record of providing direct services to Rhode Islanders in need, and they provide these services statewide.” He added, “As the only community foundation in Rhode Island, our board and staff feel strongly that we should reach out to residents throughout the state.”

Joanne McGunagle, president of the Rhode Island Community Action Association (RICAA) executive board and executive director of Comprehensive Community Action, Cranston, stated, “These funds will make it possible for our eight member agencies to provide services to nearly 2,000 additional Rhode Islanders who are in need of emergency housing, utility, and/or prescription/lab assistance.” Member community action agencies are Blackstone Valley, Comprehensive, Eastbay, Family Resources, Providence, Tri-Town, South County, and Westbay.

Paula McFarland, executive director of RICAA, added “Given the current economic climate, more and more economically disadvantaged and working poor families are seeking services from our member agencies. This grant couldn't’t have come at a better time as we work to stretch our resources.”

At Family Resources in Woonsocket were Kimberly Butler, vice president, gift planning and stewardship, The Rhode Island Foundation(center) with Family Services client Zaida Lopez (far left) and staff members Emilio Rosa, family support services supervisor; Nancy Paradee, deputy executive director; and Darlene Magaw, family support services director.

Rhode Island Community Food Bank Chief Executive Officer Andrew Schiff, citing statistics released last month in the Food Bank’s annual status report on hunger, said, “Nearly 12 percent of Rhode Islanders – 50,000 households – struggle to put food on the table. In the past year (September 2008 to August 2009), emergency food programs in Rhode Island served 13 million meals – a 30 percent increase over the previous year.”

Schiff was exuberant about the immediate effect of the Foundation’s grant on Food Bank operations. “This grant will provide 250,000 pounds of food and will help ensure that all of our emergency food programs have enough food for the winter.”

James Sanzi, gift planning officer, The Rhode Island Foundation, congratulates staff at Tri-Town Community Action Program.

The Salvation Army Good Neighbor Energy Fund, available to any Rhode Islander who cannot meet a month’s energy expense and has not qualified for or received federal or state energy assistance funds, helped 2,347 families and 6,370 individuals last year. “We anticipate with these funds we will be able to extend a helping hand to hundreds of additional residents,” noted Michael Ryan, chairman, Salvation Army “Warm Thy Neighbor” campaign and regional president of National Grid, adding, “Last year, thanks to a grant from the Foundation we were able to exceed our fundraising goals – Rhode Islanders responded generously when they saw the Foundation step up.”

Steinberg emphasized that while this grant is a departure from the Foundation’s usual grantmaking practices, which focus on long-term solutions to challenges facing Rhode Island, there was unanimous agreement that, “This is a pivotal moment, when those who have the means must dig deep and give more.” He added, “We are not issuing a formal challenge to Rhode Islanders to join us, but we do hope that this grant inspires people to increase their charitable contributions at a time of tremendous need in our state.”

Jill Pfitzenmayer, director of the Foundation's Initiative for Nonprofit Excellence, congratulates Peter McGrath, associate director, Comprehensive Community Action Program, Cranston.	Daniel Kertzner, grant programs officer (in shirt and tie), with Jeanne Gattegno, president & CEO of Westbay Community Action Program (with scarf) and other members of the Westbay CAP staff.	Zeldy Lyman, gift planning officer, The Rhode Island Foundation, poses with Joseph DeSantis, executive director, South County Community Action Program.