Grants to benefit basic needs in Randolph County
</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[The Illinois Division of the United Way of Greater St. Louis awarded three one-time Community Enhancement Grants, totaling $3,000, to non-profit agencies and organizations that will improve services to provide basic needs in Randolph County.
Catholic Social Services of Southern Illinois; Violence Prevention Center of Southwestern Illinois; and Western Egyptian Economic Opportunity Council were each awarded $1,000 grants for their programs.
"These funds will help to provide basic needs to individuals and families in need," said Carl Bisig, senior vice president of Allsup, who served as this year's volunteer chairman of the Randolph County grant review committee. "These grants are meant to enhance services or help start new programs to help people who have fallen on hard times get back on their feet."
Eligible applicants included non-profit, school and church organizations. The grants were carefully distributed by experienced volunteers who live throughout the region. The grants were open to both United Way-member and nonmember organizations in these communities.
Catholic Social Services of Southern Illinois has plans to use the funding as a supplement to its already existing Emergency Assistance program. Through this program, people living in Randolph County are helped with basic needs with the goal to attain a greater sense of self-sufficiency.
Violence Prevention Center of Southwestern Illinois will use the funding to serve basic needs to their clients who often are in need and do not have the financial means to obtain basic essentials. These essentials would include funds to purchase food or personal hygiene items for their family, clothing items, utility assistance, prescription medications for the client and their children. Funding will also be used for transportation to help clients meet their personal obligations such as counseling appointments, work and meetings at their children's school.
Western Egyptian Economic Opportunity Council plans to use the funding for its Randolph County Outreach Office and Food Pantry. The funds will be used to stock the food pantry shelves. The pantry serves about 250 people a month.
In addition to these periodic one-time grants, United Way of Greater St. Louis supports nearly 200 local health and human service organizations in 16 Missouri and Illinois counties. More than one million people in our region receive services from a United Way-supported agency, annually. To learn more about the United Way, or to make a contribution, please call your local office at (618) 233-8441.