London Community Foundation

Local Charities Receive Urgent Need Funding

London ON (Dec. 3 2009) - The following 13 social service agencies today receive funding through London Community Foundation’s Urgent Need Grant Program:

• Children’s Aid Society $12,000
• Crouch Neighbourhood Resource Centre $7,400
• Family Services Thames Valley $12,000
• Limberlost Chaplaincy $10,000
• London and Area Food Bank $10,000
• Merrymount Children’s Centre $12,000
• ReConnect (Thames Valley Education Foundation) $12,000
• Rotholme Women’s and Family Shelter $10,000
• Salvation Army London Family Services $10,000
• The Daily Bread $12,000
• Unity Project for Relief of Homelessness $10,000
• Women’s Community House $5,000
• Youth Opportunities Unlimited $9,050

These agencies are able to provide immediate intervention services such as emergency shelter, abuse intervention support, food and other necessities, to those most vulnerable in our city.

Collectively, the agencies represent a wide geographic area serving a broad demographic. Individually, each agency has a strong organizational capacity. All have been experiencing a surge in demand for crisis intervention services this year. Funding will be used to replenish food banks, diaper and baby formula food supplies, supply health and hygiene products, supplement breakfast programs, emergency cash banks, or/and other basic human needs.

Jacquie Carr from Crouch Neighbourhood Resource Centre says the urgent need grant comes at a significant time.

“We continue to see record volumes of people accessing support from our resource centre. The numbers participating in our food security programs swelled in May 2009 and have stayed at this new level. Emergency food demand exceeds our supply on a weekly basis.”

Laverne Foran from Children’s Aid Society (CAS) says that poverty problems can stress families and compound into addictions, mental health and family violence.

“The families that CAS and Family Networks Project serve are complex, with multiple needs. Single parent families, new Canadian families and their children are the most vulnerable to the economic changes we are seeing in our community. The urgent need grant from the Community Foundation is timely.”

“In a city with London's resources and its tradition of caring, poverty in our city is unacceptable,” says Martha Powell, CEO of London Community Foundation. “Though urgent need funding is a temporary solution, we believe a vital community is one that can meet its most important needs, challenges and opportunities, both today and in the future. Our board made a conscious decision this year to focus on those most vulnerable in the community because of the economy.”

This is the second cycle of urgent need grants; the first cycle of urgent need grants distributed in spring 2009.

About London Community Foundation & the Urgent Need Grant Program:

In 2008, poor market returns on endowments reduced money available for Community Foundation grants at the same time our community was met with unprecedented need from non-profit agencies serving the social service sector. In response, the Community Foundation’s 2009 traditional small grant cycle was suspended in favour of a more immediate and responsive granting strategy, the Urgent Need Grant Program.

Martha Powell, CEO
London Community Foundation
519-667-1600 ext 101
Email