2024 IMPACT FFC GRANTEES
Boys & Girls Club of Stamford
Grant Awarded: $100,000 Impact FFC Core Mission Grant
Stamford, CT
Mission: Enable all youth to reach their full potential as productive, caring, and responsible citizens by offering facilities, programs, and support systems that assist young people in their academic, social, athletic, and cultural pursuits.
Project Funded: BGCS strives to enable all youth to reach their full potential. The average household income of the families served is $25,000; half live in single-parent households; 95% are individuals of color; half are English Language Learners. 550+ children and teens attend BGCS daily, participating in a wide range of programs that support their academic, emotional, and social development. The Impact FFC Grant will support the transformation of BGCS’ after-school services by integrating youth mental health gatekeeper and social-emotional development frameworks. BGCS will equip staff through the Recognize, Refer, and Respond model and Mental Health First Aid. Staff will learn to identify signs of distress, to de-escalate, and make referrals. Fostering a culture of emotional intelligence and empathy through Yale University’s RULER model, this initiative will impact all 3,000 youth that BGCS serves and provide clinical counseling to 300 children and teens per year.
Filling in the Blanks
Grant Awarded: $100,000 Impact FFC Core Mission Grant
Norwalk, CT
Mission: Fight childhood hunger by providing children in need with meals on the weekends.
Project Funded: After learning that families were sharing the weekend meals that Filling in the Blanks was providing for children in need, FITB launched the "Fresh Food on the Move" mobile food pantry program, which conducts two monthly distributions in Norwalk and Stamford, CT. This initiative serves 900 families a month, offering grade-A quality fresh vegetables, fruit, meat, grains, and dairy, empowering families to cook nutritious meals at home and eat together. “Fresh Food on the Move” creates a supportive environment similar to a farmers’ market, partnering with local agencies and providing services ranging from hygiene products, winter coats, books, flu vaccines, health insurance, housing and employment opportunities, and financial literacy at the events, in addition to the food pantry. With the Impact FFC grant, FITB will fund seven new mobile food pantry events, providing over 175,000 pounds of fresh food to community members.
