Rotary Club of Menlo Park Announces Recipients of 2023 Community Grants
Left to Right: Rob Holyoake, RCMP Club secretary; Ashley Brankovich& Laura Bajuk, Menlo College Basic Needs; Kira Jones, Menlo Atherton Learning Center; Christian Sbragia, Cooline Kids; Jazmin Sosa, Ravenswood Education Foundation; Elizabeth Wells, Foundation for a College Education; Cecilia Chu, Friends for Youth; Vicky Avila Medrano, Nuestra Casa of East Palo Alto; Ellen Izuka, Ecumenical Hunger Program; Barbara Kalt, Meals on Wheels; Jeff Pierce, RCMP President Elect; Ellen Lehman, Eastside College Prep High School; Saundra Curry, Girls to Women.
The Rotary Club of Menlo Park is delighted to announce the recipients of their annual Community Grants, which focused this year on non-profits who support seniors and youth in the areas of food insecurity, arts, culture and education. Rotary grants areawarded to organizations based on the quality of their program, their use of funds in alignment with our 2023 Giving Focus and the impact the grant funds would have in supporting the residents of our local community. The eleven 2023 grant recipients are:
Menlo College Student Basic Needs | Meals on Wheels | Foundation for a College Education | Eastside College Preparatory School | Ecumenical Hunger Program | Nuestra Casa de East Palo Alto | CoolineKids | Ravenswood Education Foundation | Menlo Atherton Learning Center | Girls to Women/Friends for Youth.
Roughly half of the funds granted will go to organizations that help youth and elderly struggling with food insecurity, a problem that is expected to worsen this month when the Federal government terminates the pandemic-era expansion of the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP). The remaining grants will go to organizations supporting youth in areas of arts, education and culture. The grants range from $1,500 to $7,000. Overall, the club is donating $35,000 in grants, in addition to their annual $10,000 contribution to the Almanac Holiday Fund. Recipients were honored at a ceremony on March 29, 2022, at the Allied Arts Guild.