GIVE 365 Program Awards Grants

This year’s grant making focus for the Wayne County Community Foundation’s GIVE 365 program was “Healthy Foundations: Housing, Hunger, and Healthcare.” In May, the Wayne County Community Foundation (WCCF) Board of Trustees approved GIVE 365 members’ grant recommendations totaling $28,000.00 to four nonprofit organizations:

$5,000 to Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank to offset the cost of purchasing powered equipment like pallet jacks, inventory scan guns, and other items needed to operate in the newly acquired Wayne County Campus.

$3,000 to Habitat for Humanity in Wayne County, Inc. to be used in combination with other donated funds and a collaboration grant with Community Action Wayne/Medina to build 3 affordable homes.

$10,000 to The Viola Startzman Clinic to expand psychiatric mental health services by adding a full-time Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner to assess, diagnose, and treat mental health and substance use disorders for underserved Wayne County residents.

$10,000 to Homeward Bound of Wooster and Wayne County Inc. to sustain and expand the day center and overnight shelter by supporting staffing, meals, basic‑needs services, and essential operational costs that ensure folks experiencing homelessness have safe, reliable access to care.

The grant process is the heart of the GIVE 365 program. Since it was established in 2016, over $189,300 has been awarded in grants. Members submit ideas for an annual grant making theme; the ideas are posted online and decided by a majority vote of the membership. The grant application process is open to any nonprofit in Wayne County with a program or project that addresses the annual focus, with a grant application deadline of March 1.

A new cycle of GIVE 365 membership begins on July 1. Membership is open to anyone who wants to make Wayne County a better place by combining their charitable contributions with others to support nonprofit organizations. Members pay only a $1 a day – or $365 a year. Their gifts, pooled with those of other donors, can make a greater impact in Wayne County. To learn how you can become a member, call the Foundation at 330-262-3877 or visit www.waynecountycommunityfoundation.org.

Since 1978, the Wayne County Community Foundation has been working to strengthen the community we all share. It is a nonprofit charitable community organization. Since inception, WCCF has awarded over $129 million in grants and scholarships.