In the fall, Vine Street Christian Church received seventeen applications for Community Ministry Grants for the 2023-2024 funding year.
The Community Ministry Grants team, chaired by Pat Cole, reviewed all applications for impact, mission, sustainability, and other criteria, and recommended that the Administrative Council fund all grants at the amount requested.
All of them, and at the full amount requested - that’s fantastic!
Of the seventeen local non-profits (see below), seven are new recipients, and ten are previous recipients.
This past week, we mailed checks totaling $22,500, funded predominantly by annual contributions by our members and friends.
Thank you to all who contributed, and to the Community Ministry Grants team: Cate Mart, Dair Grubb, Stephen Moseley, Jeff Miller and Pat Cole, chair.
Because of these grants…
Alameda Christian Church will expand their Backpack ministry, feeding participants and including new services such as health screenings and haircuts.
Chemo Guardians will purchase groceries for a Thanksgiving dinner for 100 people.
Harvest Hands will provide meals for their after school programs in education, healthy living, economic development, and spiritual formation.
Heartbound Ministry will support their Little Readers program and start Project ART classes at two locations.
Justice Industries will fund a Matching Savings Program for team members to help in times of crisis.
Martha O’Bryan Center will provide bus passes, baby wipes, and feminine hygiene products for mothers.
Nashville Adult Literacy Council will cover licensing fees for online ELL and tutoring programs for fifteen participants.
Open Table will purchase 0 degree sleeping bags, blankets, and propane for their street outreach program.
United4Hope will expand recruitment and training to build relationships between schools and churches (like the one West End Middle School and Vine Street Christian Church have).
Pawster Nashville will provide vaccinations to thirty dogs and cats in foster care and get closer to their goal of providing comprehensive veterinary care for every foster pet.
Penuel Ridge Retreat Center will provide hot meals, bus passes, and hygiene kits to homeless women attending a day retreat, focused on spiritual connection, healthy relationships, and emotional well-being.
PLAN will purchase a shelving system to store bins of t-shirts, pants, socks, underware, blankets and light weight jackets for their homeless neighbors.
Preston Taylor Ministries will provide after-school reading programs for approximately 45 students at two locations.
Rest Stop Ministries will provide meals for a month for their residential community of female survivors of sex trafficking.
Tennessee Innocence Project will continue their fight against wrongful convictions in our state.
Tennessee Prison Outreach Ministry will provide art and craft supplies for summer campers who are children of incarcerated parents.