FOND DU LAC – The Fond du Lac Area United Way and Living Hope Food Pantry have made it to the second round of “A Community Thrives” competition. The competition is for a grant, provided by the parent company of the Fond du Lac Reporter.
Gannett Co. Inc, the parent company of the USA TODAY NETWORK, created A Community Thrives through its foundation to provide grants to nonprofit organizations with projects focused on improving local communities in the categories of wellness, education, and arts and culture.
The program has awarded more than $2.1 million to community organizations since it started in 2017.
Participants this year were selected from applicants that pitched programs with a focus on community building, with a preference for those that impact under-served people and groups.
The second phase of A Community Thrives began March 15, when fundraising by each of the 1,535 selected organizations kicked off on crowdrise.com. Organizations need to reach a fundraising goal by April 12 in order to qualify for an A Community Thrives grant.
The following projects are working to receive the grant:
Fond du Lac Area United Way Parent Cafés: The nonprofit is looking to open up “parent cafes,” to bring families together to learn resiliency skills and form supportive relationships, said Amber Kilawee, executive director.
Families will be invited with their young children to first take part in a family-style meal to encourage people to get to know one another. Then, families will be split into groups and children placed with childcare, which the grant will help to fund.
Topics covered included: making ends meet; saying yes to your best; and discipline is love.
The group can be of use for all socioeconomic classes. Although families can have a “plethora of organizations helping them,” said Kilawee, one of the most needed supports is a natural support system there for someone during crises and achievements. Parent Cafés can be used to form these relationships over a course of three meetings, and hopefully spawn play dates and social-emotional growth, said Kilawee.
To donate to the project, visit: crowdrise.com/o/en/campaign/fond-du-lac-area-united-way-wisconsin
Living Hope Food Pantry's walk-in freezer: Started by Living Hope Community Church, the food pantry serves those in need throughout Fox Lake and the communities around it. School districts of service include: Cambria-Friesland, Fall River, Fox Lake, Horicon, Juneau, Markesan and Randolph, according to its website.
To expand its ability to serve, the pantry is looking to renovate its walk-in freezer and refrigerator. This will allow the pantry to store fresh food, including meat, in its recently opened location, according to the Beaver Dam Daily Citizen.
To donate to the project, visit: crowdrise.com/o/en/campaign/living-hope-food-pantry-wisconsin
Contact Sarah Razner at (920) 907-7909 or srazner@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @misssarahrazner.
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