TRAVERSE CITY — Three Northern Michigan nonprofits are celebrating big wins tonight.
Impact 100 Traverse City awarded nearly $350,000 in grant money that will help feed families and provide safe housing for survivors of domestic violence.
One of the recipients is Food Rescue of Goodwill Northern Michigan.
They’ll use their $116,000 grant to purchase a new cooler so they can keep perishables longer. While they currently have a small cooler, Food Rescue director Taylor Moore said the more perishables they can store, the more they can provide quality food for the community.
“This cooler is going to triple our capacity, which means that we can hold on to food for longer and distribute it throughout the five counties more effectively. And this is all part of ensuring that every time someone goes to a food pantry or meal site, that there’s fresh produce available.”
The timing couldn’t be better, right now food rescue is working with farmers to save more than 25,000 pounds of apples that otherwise might go to waste.
Without enough refrigeration, Food Rescue can’t take on excess amounts of perishables -- that means less people eat.
Friendship Community Center director Emily Worden was at food rescue picking up products.
Her organization has at times fed up to 800 teens, all in need of fresh goods.
“Here’s everything from fresh bread to fresh vegetables to fresh fruit for our kids or to enhance our community dinners, everything like that”.
The other $116,000 grant went to the Women’s Resource Center.
The nonprofit provides shelter and support for people impacted by domestic and sexual violence.
With this funding, the group will renovate its transitional home, turning a shared living space into ten private apartments for survivors and their children.
Women’s Resource Center executive director Juliette Schultz said this will help stabilize victims of domestic violence.
“For them to be able to have in this case two years to really get their footing, and be able to secure employment and have a place to stay where they might just be paying a dollar a month is incredible”
The Groundwork Center for Resilient Communities was also awarded a grant for $116,000.