Medina County Women's Endowment Fund announces $17,000 in grants
Two grants awarded to address the growing issue of food insecurity
The Medina County Women’s Endowment Fund of Akron Community Foundation recently awarded $17,000 in grants to six nonprofit organizations that improve the lives of Medina County’s women and children. This latest round of grants brings the fund’s cumulative grantmaking total to nearly $285,000.
Two grants awarded this year will address food insecurity in Medina County. The Battered Women’s Shelter received a $5,000 grant to provide residents of the Medina emergency shelter with three nutritious meals and snacks per day. Each day, the shelter feeds up to 18 adults and children.
"The Battered Women's Shelter seeks to alleviate food insecurity by providing domestic violence survivors in our Medina emergency shelter with three balanced meals and snacks each day. Basic needs, such as nutritious food, must be met to begin healing from domestic violence and work toward a life free from abuse," said Kate Robbins, director of grants and public policy.
Main Street Medina also received a $1,000 grant that will promote healthy and affordable recipes made with locally grown produce. The organization will provide monthly cooking and food preparation demonstrations at the Medina Square Farmers Market.
"We're proud to support these organizations that are rising to meet the challenges that women and children in our community are facing," said Joyce Fuerst, advisory board chair of the Medina County Women’s Endowment Fund.
The following is a full list of organizations receiving grants in 2023:
Access the Arts, to provide digital arts classes to children at the Lodi Family Center and the Medina County Juvenile Detention Center, $2,000
Battered Women’s Shelter, to provide nutritious meals and snacks to women and children impacted by domestic violence at the Medina emergency shelter, $5,000
Main Street Medina, to provide monthly food preparation and cooking demonstrations with an emphasis on healthy, locally grown ingredients at the Medina Square Farmers Market, $1,000
Medina County Share Cluster, to support leadership development events for Medina County students in grades six through nine, $3,000
Stewart’s Caring Place, to provide support services for Medina County women and families impacted by cancer, $2,000
Summer Reinforcement Program, to support an affordable summer tutoring program with lessons in reading, math and speech therapy for Medina County students, $4,000
About the Medina County Women’s Endowment Fund
The Medina County Women’s Endowment Fund, an affiliate of Akron Community Foundation, was established in 1998 to improve the lives of women and children in Medina County. The mission of the Medina County Women’s Endowment Fund is to fund organizations and programs in Medina County that support women and children, to serve as a catalyst for needed projects, and to assist women in their growth as philanthropists. The fund encourages the advancement and full participation of women and children in the community and in society. In addition, it supports organizations and programs that create opportunities for the educational, physical, emotional, social, artistic and personal growth of women and children. Since the fund’s establishment, it has grown to more than $460,000 and awarded nearly $285,000 in grants. For more information, or to contribute to the Medina County Women’s Endowment fund, go to medinawomensendowment.org.
About Akron Community Foundation
Celebrating 68 years of building community philanthropy, Akron Community Foundation embraces and enhances the work of charitable people who make a permanent commitment to the good of the community. In 1955, a $1 million bequest from the estate of Edwin Shaw established the community foundation. It is a philanthropic endowment of nearly $260 million with a growing family of more than 820 funds established by charitable people and organizations from all walks of life. The community foundation and its funds welcome gifts of all kinds, including cash, bequests, stock, real estate, life insurance and retirement assets, just to name a few. To date, the community foundation’s funds have awarded more than $223 million in grants to qualified nonprofit organizations. For more information about Akron Community Foundation or to learn more about creating your own charitable fund, call 330-376-8522 or visit akroncf.org.