A new program, MBF Teen Safety Matters™, was recently launched by the Monique Burr Foundation for Children to prevent child abuse and bullying among teen-agers.
Community First Cares Foundation Renews and Expands Partnership with Schell-Sweet Community Resource Center to Feed and Assist Northwest Jacksonville’s Most Vulnerable
JACKSONVILLE, Fla., April 11, 2024 – The Community First Cares Foundation, the philanthropic arm Community First Credit Union and the Schell-Sweet Community Resource Center on the campus of Edward Waters University (EWU) have renewed and expanded their partnership to help feed more of our area’s most vulnerable residents. The project’s most visible and impactful event is a year-long food giveaway program with events held the second Saturday of every month starting this weekend April 13 at 9 a.m. at 1697 Kings Road.
“We are making a positive difference in the lives of many,” said Marie Heath, Schell-Sweet Community Resource Center Director. “This partnership supports families who desperately need our help.”
The partnership is funded by a grant from the Community First Cares Foundation. Credit union volunteers participate in the outreach to our community along with EWU volunteers. The food events will now serve more than 175 families every month.
“The need in our community continues to grow as more families struggle and as food prices have continued to rise,” said Missy Peters, executive director of Community First Cares. “We are proud to expand this partnership to help serve more families during the next year.”
The Schell-Sweet Community Resource Center provides free assistance to everyone in the community in five areas to promote healthy lifestyles. These include health and fitness, social opportunities, learning and education, faith as well as primary health care. The center, founded in 1995 in partnership with Edward Waters and the City of Jacksonville, began as a resource for seniors but has expanded to serve all ages and families on the Northwest side.
Edward Waters University is distinctively the state of Florida’s first independent institution of higher learning as well as Florida’s first institution established for the education of African Americans. With a distinguished higher education lineage spanning over 150 years, EWU is primed to continue its Emerging Eminence as a premier urban, private, Christian, historically black, liberal arts university offering high quality degrees and preparing students holistically to advance in a global society through the provision of intellectually stimulating academic programs of study. The University offers a close-knit, collegial, intellectual community that draws students and scholars from around the world. For more information, visit www.ewc.edu.
The Community First Cares Foundation, founded by Community First Credit Union, is a non-profit community foundation that grants funds to improve the quality of life in North Florida. The foundation supports activities to improve financial literacy, enhance the quality of our educational system, upgrade the health and welfare of our community and help underserved citizens. The Community First Cares Foundation makes contributions to nonprofit organizations that serve the communities on the First Coast. For more information, visit www.CommunityFirstCares.org or call 904-371-8090.
Poverty is a silent epidemic in our schools, and many issues with attendance and academics are directly related to students not having clean clothes, shoes that fit, or the supplies they need to be successful in school. Students want to feel good about themselves when they come to school, and we want to help them have everything they need to learn. We could not have opened our first on-site classroom-sized Giving Closet without this funding and volunteer support.
Jennifer Smith, DCPS teacher and Founder of The Giving Closet Project.