Lawrence Township Community Foundation awards 16 nonprofit groups with grant funds
Every dollar helps.
That is evident when you look at how 16 nonprofit groups will use the recent awarded grants they received from the Lawrence Township Community Foundation.
The foundation distributed nearly $23,000 in grant funds at its recent awards ceremony, held at the Lawrence Community Center on Eggerts Crossing Road.
Arm in Arm will be able to offer monthly mobile food pantry deliveries to the residents at Project Freedom, off Princeton Avenue. Project Freedom is a 52-unit development designed for residents who are wheelchair-bound or who have other disability-related needs. One of Arm in Arm’s food pantry programs makes home deliveries to people who are home-bound or immunocompromised.
Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Mercer County will use its grant money to support a youth mentoring program that links Lawrence High School students with Ben Franklin Elementary School students. Notre Dame High School students serve as mentors to Slackwood Elementary School students.
The Big Red Race, which is associated with The Lawrenceville School, sponsors a summer camp for about a dozen Lawrence Township children. The Big Red Race is a 5K race fundraiser hosted by The Lawrenceville School on its campus.
Capital Health Systems plans to use its grant for the Pedal Power program, which is a bicycle and helmet safety initiative. The money will be used to provide helmets, safety material and instruction to young riders.
The Friends of Lawrence Greenway will purchase a workstation computer and accessories for a graphic and processor intensive GIS (Geographic Information System) application to create maps, open space advocacy, public information and education.
The GI Go Fund helps military service members, reservists, national guardsmen, veterans and their families to find jobs. It helps them to obtain their benefits and to make smart decisions about higher education. It also helps them to find housing.
HomeFront, which helps the homeless and the working poor, will put its grant toward food and resource programs to help meet the immediate needs of low-income households.
Interfaith Caregivers expects to apply its grant funding toward its Project Healthy Bones osteoporosis education and prevention program. It will offer virtual classes serving Lawrence Township residents.
The Jewish Family & Children’s Service of Greater Mercer County plans to use its grant to fund mobile food pantry stops in Lawrence Township and to continue to address food insecurity.
The Lawrence Lacrosse Club expects to use its grant to bring the Lawrence girls lacrosse team to the Hopewell tournament, and/or fund six scholarships for the spring 2023 season for families that cannot afford the registration fee.
Lawrenceville Main Street plans to use its grant toward the 2022 Music in the Park season and to help pay for holiday decorations and “Santa in the Park.”
For Meals on Wheels, the grant will help cover the cost of meals for participants in the subsidized meal program.
NAMI Mercer will use its grant for its NAMI Mercer Helpline. Specialists field calls and respond to emails and walk-in requests for help from individuals, families, mental health clinicians and residents who are seeking mental health support.
The People & Stories program plans to use its grant toward a pair of eight-week literature reading and discussion programs for senior citizens who live at Project Freedom and the Lawrence Plaza apartments.
At the English School at the Lawrence Road Presbyterian Church, the grant will be applied to pay teachers’ salaries and to provide the immigrant community with affordable sources to learn English.
And at Womanspace, which provides emergency services to victims of domestic violence, there are plans to use the grant funding to help offset the rising costs associated with housing additional victims in area hotels.
Since its inception in 2002, the Lawrence Township Community Foundation has awarded more than $1.2 million in grants to nonprofit groups in Lawrence Township and neighboring towns.