Projo 7 to 7 News Blog

Spurred by the economic need in Rhode Island, the state's largest charitable foundation -- and one of the nation's oldest and largest -- announced today that it is giving a $500,000 emergency community grant to three statewide organizations that provide direct service to people in need.

"This is very unusual," Rhode Island Foundation President and CEO Neil Steinberg said this morning, noting that the foundation typically gives out money through a competitive grant process that requires applications and takes time. "We could not ignore the immediate need."

The foundation will give the money immediately to Crossroads Rhode Island on Broad Street, which has become a clearinghouse for shelter space statewide, the Rhode Island Community Food Bank and the Salvation Army Good Neighbor Energy Fund. The organizations will share the money equally, Steinberg said.

As Salvation Army Major Doug Burr said and Steinberg repeated this morning, "The need is today."

A couple weeks ago, the foundation's board of directors decided to use money from the foundation's endowment funds to address the core needs in a state that's battling the highest unemployment rate in the country.

Steinberg defined those core needs: "Homelessness. Home heating. Hunger."

The foundation chose agencies with statewide impact that have "withstood the test of time," Steinberg said.

At the Rhode Island Community Food Bank's Providence headquarters and warehouse on Niantic Avenue this morning, Food Bank Executive Director Andrew Schiff pointed to empty shelves behind him.

"You can imagine my relief when Neil called me about this awesome grant," said Schiff, who said the money will buy 350,000 more pounds of food. "That doesn't just fill these empty shelves. That fills this entire warehouse."

 Tags  emergency community grants Rhode Island Community Food Bank Rhode Island Foundation Salvation Army Good Neighbor Energy Fund

Comments

Kenny said:

Awesome. So good to read a nice story!

Link | December 3, 2008 12:46 PM
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