17 Agencies, School Programs in Two Counties Will Share $12,000 in Grant Support
WATERTOWN — Jefferson-Lewis Board of Realtors Partners with Community Foundation to strengthen Inventory for Pantries, Backpack Programs $12,000 to Be Awarded to Assist 17 Agencies and School Programs in Two Counties
A matching challenge between the Jefferson-Lewis Board of Realtors and the Northern New York Community Foundation resulted in $12,000 to support food pantries and school backpack programs in two counties.
The Jefferson-Lewis Board of Realtors challenged its members to make generous gifts aid food pantries and school backpack programs of their choice during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Community Foundation partnered with the Board of Realtors to match up to $5,000 in charitable gifts to the effort. Several Realtors stepped up to give a total of $6,000 in a matter of weeks, which the Board of Realtors and Foundation matched.
“Realtors do more than work with clients and customers to achieve their goals,” said Britt Abbey, Jefferson-Lewis Board of Realtors president. “Realtors are community builders, and they are more than twice as likely as the general public to donate time and resources in the communities they serve. When we launched this challenge, we knew our members would respond well. The fact that we achieved our goal in only four weeks is evidence of the level of caring for community among our Realtor members.”
Seventeen food pantries and school backpack programs serving Jefferson and Lewis counties will receive support from this proactive initiative. The recipients are:
Jefferson County
- Alexandria Bay Food Pantry
- Cape Vincent Food Pantry
- Carthage Central School Backpack Program
- General Brown Backpack Program
- Redwood Food Pantry
- Rohde Center, Adams
- Sackets Harbor Central School Backpack Program
- Salvation Army of Watertown
- South Jeff Backpack Program
- VEM Food Pantry, Carthage
Lewis County
- Beaver River Central School Backpack Program
- Copenhagen Food Pantry
- Croghan Food Pantry
- Harrisville Food Pantry
- Lowville Food Pantry
- New Bremen Food Pantry
- Port Leyden Food Pantry
“We are grateful to the Jefferson-Lewis Board of Realtors and its members for creating a unique and targeted challenge to help several communities,” said Max DelSignore, Community Foundation assistant director. “This effort augments the vital work being done by these pantries and schools. It is another clear demonstration of community philanthropy serving as a meaningful force in a time of great need.”
The Northern New York Community Foundation continues to evaluate and rapidly support essential needs and services through its COVID-19 Community Support Fund. The Foundation helps to address these essential needs due to the generosity of individual donors, families and corporate and community partners to the fund.
Nonprofits interested in applying for funding from the COVID-19 Community Support Fund should contact Kraig Everard, director of stewardship and programs, kraig@nnycf.org, or 315-782-7110. Applications for funding are frequently reviewed and grants are awarded on a rolling basis. To learn more about the Community Foundation’s COVID-19 Community Support Fund, visit nnycf.org/home/covid19.
About the Northern New York Community Foundation
Since 1929, the Northern New York Community Foundation has invested in improving and enriching the quality of life for all in communities across Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence counties.
Through partnerships with businesses and organizations, charitable foundations, and generous families and individual donors, the Community Foundation awards grants and scholarships from an endowment and collection of funds that benefit the region. Its commitment to donors helps individuals achieve their charitable objectives now and for generations to come by preserving and honoring legacies of community philanthropy while inspiring others.
The Community Foundation is a resource for local charitable organizations, donors, professional advisors and nonprofit organizations. It also works to bring people together at its permanent home in the Northern New York Philanthropy Center to discuss challenges our communities face and find creative solutions that strengthen the region and make it a great place to live, work, and play.