Every year, the Texarkana Area Community Foundation assists local nonprofit organizations by presenting a total of approximately $80,000 in grants to places like food pantries, medical clinics, educational organizations and family help organizations.
On Nov. 5, 2019, 50 grants were awarded to various nonprofits for $80,802.00.
One of the nonprofits that has benefited from TACF is the Harvest Regional Food Bank, which applied for a grant to help fund its Backpack program. The program is designed to provide food to local children and students who are considered food insecure or who aren't receiving enough meals on a daily basis.
It partners with local schools in Southwest Arkansas, as well as Bowie County in Texas, to cater to at-risk, low-to-moderate income elementary and middle school students who are on free and reduced lunch. It currently serves 40 campuses and more than 1,000 students weekly.
Harvest developmental director Jennifer Teeters said their goal is to supply these students with non-perishable meals and snacks to fill out as many gaps in their meal schedule as possible.
"A lot of these students get breakfast and lunch every day and a lot of times that may be the only guaranteed meal they're going to get that day," Teeters said. "So we recognized a need several years ago that come Friday afternoon, they might go home, and they don't necessarily know when they're going to get their next meal until they come back to school at 8am Monday morning. We just want to make sure that these kids are getting the nutrients they need over the weekend, so they come back to school Monday morning ready to focus."
Teeters said TACF's grant is vital in assisting their Backpack program.
"This isn't a program that we receive any state or federal funding for," she said. "Schools get state and federal funding for USDA and that kind of thing to fund the school breakfast and lunch programs, but since this is something we're doing to supplement that, we have to completely fund it ourselves. This is the program that we really have to reach out to the community, to foundations and to organizations like (TACF) to be able to meet that need and fully fund the program, because we want to be able to fund it for every kid who needs it in every school, from the first day of school to the last day of school."
Harvest Regional Food Bank CEO and executive director Camille Wrinkle said the Backpack program isn't the only way the community foundation helps them out.
"We really are grateful for the support from the Arkansas community foundation, and specifically TACF," Wrinkle said. "We also lean on the Arkansas Community Foundation for the Arkansas Aspire website, where I utilize a lot of those numbers in grants I write and presentations to the community."
TACF is inviting local nonprofit organizations to apply for "Giving Tree Grants" before the deadline of Aug. 15.
Organizations that qualify for grants are IRS 501(c)(3) charities in Miller, Little River, Sevier, Howard, and Hempstead counties in Arkansas, as well as in Bowie County, Texas.
Applications will be reviewed by a grant-making committee from the Texarkana area local board of directors.
To apply, visit arcf.org and click on the nonprofit tab. Next, click on "Apply for a Grant" and then click "Giving Tree Grants" in the left margin. All applications must be submitted online and submitted to arcf.org. The website information includes information about the type of grants that do and do not qualify. You may also contact Ken Cox, executive director of the Texarkana Area Community Foundation, at 903-277-4730 or email [email protected].