Author: Janice Black, President & CEO
It’s a chilly Friday in November and students from schools located in Perry County run home with books in hand to a much needed break from their studies. But for some students this 48 hour break means for the next 48 hours, they will be without food and doing their homework on an empty stomach. The Perry County Community Fund, a regional community fund of The Foundation for Enhancing Communities recently awarded $3,500 to the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank for their program to reduce youth food insecurity in Perry County. Because of this grant, the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank will be able to continue to deliver 390 backpacks filled with non-perishable, vitamin fortified food, as well as other food insecurity programs, to Perry County students to fight childhood hunger.
This story—along with the countless others like it—demonstrates the importance of community foundations in this country, which are uniquely situated to improve their regions through supporting innovative solutions and creating powerful partnerships. From November 12 to 18, we celebrate Community Foundation Week, a time when we can share and reflect on the stories of impact over the last year. Though you may not yet know your local community foundation, you’ve likely felt its impact.
That’s because The Foundation for Enhancing Communities (TFEC) and 1,000+ other community foundations across the country help to bring donors and residents together. Community foundations work to support the efforts that will help the places we call home continue to flourish and grow.
TFEC has been here for 100 years, partnering with donors to achieve their charitable goals. We have granted over $91,000,000 back into our local community since our inception in 1920. Giving with TFEC means you give where you live. Where your children go to school, the small towns with your favorite family restaurant, and the hiking trails you frequent in the summer. Our mission is to strengthen our communities by investing in them now and for future generations.
As we enter the giving season, millions of people from every background will be looking to give back to the communities that have supported them. They’ll also look to ensure that their heartfelt giving—however they choose to give—will have the most impact. That’s why so many of them will choose to give to a community foundation.
A gift to your local community foundation is an investment in the future of your community. We like to say that community foundations are “here for good.” At TFEC we don’t think about the next news or business cycle, we think about the next generation and the next after that.
That can seem a daunting task, but it’s one that we all share. During Community Foundation Week, I hope you’ll join us in recognizing our collective impact and the difference we can make together.
For more information on Community Foundation Week visit www.cof.org/cfweek and follow #CommunityFNDWeek on Twitter.
