In the first quarter of 2022, Partners for Health awarded grants totaling $473,500 to support the following organizations and initiatives:
Matching grants were disbursed to 10 soup kitchens, food pantries and organizations working toward affordable housing and healthy food. Grantees included City Green, Family Promise of Essex County, HOMECorp, Human Needs Food Pantry, MESH (Montclair Emergency Services for Hope), MNDC (Montclair Community Farms, Montclair Neighborhood Development Corporation, Nutley Family Service Bureau, Saint Peter’s Haven Healthy Food Pantry & Family Shelter in Clifton, The Salvation Army and Toni’s Kitchen.
Aging in Montclair (AIM) will convene facilitated meetings of leaders from the agencies in Montclair whose focus is on delivering services to seniors. The goal is to identify gaps in services, especially for the most vulnerable seniors, and opportunities to address these needs.
Support for the Montclair Art Museum will help them respond to community needs, reduce financial barriers for those who seek to take advantage of the museum, and advance the museum’s efforts to build an organization that is focused on Diversity, Equity, Accessibility and Inclusion.
Montclair Gateway to Aging in Place will utilize grant funds to enhance the digital competence of local seniors, so they can use consumer devices and apps competently, and access the Internet without anxiety.
The Montclair YMCA will provide Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training to their staff and the community to meet the growing need for widespread awareness and resources for mental health support. Grant funds will be used to train three staff members to provide MHFA training to youth and adults, as well as to train other trainers.
New Jersey Citizens Action will raise awareness of state and federal Earned Income Tax Credits and expanded Child Tax Credits, promote the availability of free tax preparation services, and provide free tax preparation to at least 140 low-income Clifton, Montclair, Nutley and Bloomfield residents. These efforts help to lift low-income families out of poverty.
Nutley Family Service Bureau will conduct its first organization-wide accreditation through the Council on Accreditation. This accreditation will provide the framework to deliver best practices for services, manage resources, retain qualified staff, and conduct continuous quality improvement.