M25 Initiatives Awards Grants To Combat Food Insecurity

Dr. Robin Weinstein, president and founder of The M25 Initiative, announced that Board of Trustees has awarded over $20,000 in grant funding to assist programs that are feeding the Cumberland County community in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Said Dr. Weinstein: “The M25 Initiative Board of Trustees are humbled to continually witness the great compassion being shown in the county in the midst of very difficult circumstances. Many county residents already faced food insecurity, and the effects of the pandemic have exasperated the economic challenges we face as a community. We want our armies of compassion to know that we have their backs while they look after the needs of our neighbors.”

Sixteen Cumberland County-based programs addressing food insecurity have been awarded funding:

• Pope Francis Food Pantry

• St. Vincent de Paul Society, Good Shepherd Dining Room

• First Wesleyan Church Food Pantry

• Church of the Resurrection/St Andrew’s Episcopal Church

• First United Methodist Church of Millville

• Bethany SDA Church

• The Puerto Rican Action Committee of SNJ

• Bethany Grace Community Church

• Manna From Heaven

• Gateway Community Action Partnership (Tri-County Community Action Agency Inc.)

• Vineland Soup Kitchen-Spirit & Truth Ministries

• St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church

• Help and Hope Ministries Inc.

• The Salvation Army, Vineland

• Margaret A. White Women’s Missionary Society at Trinity AME Church

• The Salvation Army, Bridgeton

“We are already working on fundraising for another $20,000 in funding to be distributed at the end of June,” said Dr. Weinstein. “The M25 Initiative Board of Trustees have pledged an organizational match of up to $10,000 based on contributions donated to our Food Insecurity Fund between now and May 31st. One hundred percent of the raised funds will be used to assist those on the front line of feeding our neighbors during this time of extreme hardship.”

“We also want the community to know that our Housing First Collaborative is still continuing to find homes for those who face chronic homelessness. We are working tirelessly to reach our goal of 100 homeBLESSED clients by the end of 2020 (since the program’s inception). For more information on the Housing First program, visit endhomelessness2020.com.”

Donations can be made online at m25initiative.org/donate, through Facebook at bit.ly/2VCtW87, or by mail: M25 Initiative, 31 N. Pearl St., Bridgeton, NJ 08302.