Chester Area Christian Food Pantry awarded cash grant for portable storage unit
</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[Homeless shelters, food pantries, literacy programs, community gardens, youth centers-these are a few of the services that will expand for community and faith-based organizations with grant assistance from Illinois Coalition for Community Services' IMPACT program. Today, Illinois Coalition for Community Services (ICCS) announces the recipients of $200,000 in cash grants being awarded to 40 organizations who participated in the IMPACT program.
Beginning in January, the Illinois Milestones Project: Achieving Capacity Transformation (IMPACT) program provided nonprofit organizations from across the state with free training conferences, workshops, and one-on-one meetings with ICCS community organizers to increase their skills. Eligible organizations were invited to compete for cash grants, ranging from $1,500 to $25,000 each, to be used for projects that would make the organization stronger or help them serve more people.
Chester Area Christian Food Pantry, a local organization benefiting the IMPACT program, was awarded a sub-grant of $12,090 for the purchase of a portable storage unit. Currently, the Chester Pantry is sometimes forced to turn away donated items because of the lack of storage space. With this grant, the Chester Area Christian Food Pantry has begun preparing for the purchase of a portable storage unit that will be placed nearby the pantry. This will allow for the Chester Pantry to provide better direct service to their clients and donated food can be stored and available as it is needed. The storage unit will greatly increase the capacity of the Chester Pantry. The Chester Area Christian Food Pantry exists for the charitable purpose of providing food and aid for people in need.
Funding for this grant opportunity was provided to ICCS by the US Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families through a Compassion Capital Fund Demonstration Grant. Illinois Coalition for Community Services is a statewide nonprofit organization "committed to empowering people to determine the direction of their communities through education, advocacy and grass roots organizing." To learn more about ICCS services, or for a complete list of IMPACT grant recipients, visit www.organizing-communities.org
Illinois Coalition for Community Services is a statewide 501(C)3 organization committed to empowering individuals and communities disenfranchised due to poverty, lack of education, rural isolation, or a depressed economy. A pioneer in community development efforts in this state, ICCS works in 74 Illinois communities through our 10 full-time organizers and 12 AmeriCorps VISTA volunteers. For more information about ICCS please contact Nancy Tegtmeier, Associate Director, at 217-522-2378 or via email at nancy@organizing-communities.org.