Greenwood awarded four local nonprofits with $160,000 in CARES Act grants.
The city received more than $200,000 in CARES Act funding last month to give specifically to local nonprofits as part of the federal Community Development Block Grant, which is normally awarded yearly to cities to be used for community development projects, including housing, food pantries or senior services improvements, for example.
Greenwood narrowed down the applicants for the grants to four nonprofits that will split $160,000.
“Those people have been working tirelessly trying to help the residents of this city, and it’s (the grant) helping them recover funds that they have lost during the pandemic,” Greenwood Mayor Mark Myers said in June when the city received the additional funding.
The Social of Greenwood got the most, at $30,000. The Social is a nonprofit senior community that provides programs, activities and services for Greenwood and southside residents who are ages 50 and older. The funding will allow the organization to assist 10,000 seniors in need, according to a news release from the city.
Harvest Food Pantry at Saints Francis and Clare of Assisi Catholic Church received $10,000. Staffed by volunteers, the food pantry is open on the second and fourth Saturdays of the month, and it provides food to more than 300 family members each month. With the additional funding, they will be able to support 6,900 individuals in need, according to the news release.
United Way of Johnson County was awarded $100,000 and plans to use the funding to provide targeted rent subsidies to more than 100 Greenwood residents who were impacted by COVID-19, the news release said. United Way of Johnson County funds 18 health and human-service agencies and seven direct programs in the county. The organization is responsible for looking at the needs of the community, raising funds and allocating those funds across the county.
Our Lady of the Greenwood Food Pantry received $20,000. The food pantry is staffed by volunteers and open from Tuesday to Thursday each week. With the funding, Our Lady of the Greenwood will serve 10,000 additional people. In partnership with Gleaners Food Bank, the church will host a Mobile Food Pantry drive-thru this Thursday.
About $40,000 remains, and officials have not decided what to do with it yet, said Kevin Steinmetz, capital projects manager for the city, who oversees funding for the community development block grants.
“As the situation evolves and needs change, we will look to invest that money,” Steinmetz said.
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Here is a look at each CARES Act grant the City of Greenwood has distributed to nonprofits so far:
The Social of Greenwood: $30,000
Harvest Food Pantry at Saints Francis and Clare of Assisi Catholic Church: $10,000
United Way of Johnson County: $100,000
Our Lady of the Greenwood Food Pantry: $20,000
Source: City of Greenwood
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