Grants To Support Community Kitchen, Mental Health Training and Other Manchester Projects

The Manchester Area Conference of Churches’ (MACC) Community Kitchen is among the 15 Manchester-based programs recently receiving $84,963 in grants from the H. Louise Ruddell Charitable Fund at the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving.

The grant for $10,000 for kitchen equipment will both assist in the production of Community Kitchen meals and provide clients with up-to-date food service specific training. As a part of the training, at least 12 clients will earn ServSafe Certification.  In 2013-2014 the Community Kitchen provided 46,947 meals.

"This generous grant will help us take our food service program to the next level, “said Beth Stafford, MACC’s executive director and CEO. “Professional-grade equipment allows us to prepare fresher and more wholesome food, while also providing us with an opportunity to train clients in the culinary arts."

“We believe that wholesome food, well prepared and served with love, bestows dignity and invites hope,” said Ben Dubow, MACC’s Executive Chef/Director of Food Services. “This grant will allow us to deliver on this commitment and conviction."

A $6,508 grant was also awarded to the North Central Regional Mental Health Board to provide mental health de-escalation training to emergency personnel and direct care staff through the Manchester "Emotionally Distressed Persons" Task Force in collaboration with the Town of Manchester and local community healthcare providers.

“The ‘Emotionally Distressed Persons’ Task Force is very grateful for this award,” said Marcia Dufore, NCRMHB’s executive director. “With it we hope to better equip Manchester emergency and human services personnel to intervene effectively with local residents when they are in emotional distress or crisis.”

Other 2015 grants from the Ruddell Fund are:

  • Rebuilding Together Manchester Inc., $7,500:  To purchase building materials used to provide home modifications and repairs for low-income homeowners.
  • Manchester Scholarship Foundation, Inc., $5,000: To assist non-traditional adult learners with fees outside of tuition such as books and lab fees.
  • Community Renewal Team, Inc., $6,640: To support READS, a language and reading literacy program for elementary-aged school children.
  • Manchester Police Activities League, Inc., $5,500: To support a safe physical education and training environment for the Manchester PALs program by updating equipment, purchasing additional storage and installing air conditioning and fans.
  • Little Theatre of Manchester, Inc., $7,000: To support the 2015 play season to reach new audiences, including young adults, families and underserved populations.
  • Lutz Children's Museum, $9,000: To support the care and feeding of all animals in the museum.
  • The Children's Museum, $5,000: To expand the Science Achievement for All program for low-income students at Manchester Schools.
  • Manchester Historical Society, $4,000: To partially support the purchase of visual and audio equipment at the History Center to enhance and engage audience experiences.
  • C.A.S.T., Inc., $1,600.00: To provide reduced-rate tickets for seniors and children as part of its outreach programs.
  • Manchester Symphony Orchestra & Chorale, Inc., $1,500: To partially support the artist and venue costs for the "Cruisin' to the Oldies" concert.
  • Connecticut Humane Society, $8,525: To purchase updated veterinary diagnostic equipment for the Fox Memorial Clinic.
  • Hartford Gay and Lesbian Health Collective, $4,000: For veterinary care, food and other supports of the Aid-A-Pet program.
  • Protectors of Animals, Inc., $3,190: For the purchase of shelter software PetPoint.

The H. Louise Ruddell Charitable Fund is named in honor of a lifelong resident of Pearl Street in Manchester who died in 1983 at age 96. In her will, she set up a private foundation to aid organizations providing programs and services to the citizens of Manchester and institutions working for the prevention of cruelty to animals. The assets of that foundation came to the Hartford Foundation in 2001. Since then, the fund has awarded 173 grants totaling more than $1 million.

The Hartford Foundation for Public Giving is the community foundation for Hartford and 28 surrounding communities.  In 2015, the Foundation celebrates 90 years of grantmaking in the Greater Hartford region, made possible by the gifts of generous individuals, families and organizations.  It has awarded grants of more than $620 million since its founding in 1925. For more information about the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, visit www.hfpg.org or call 860-548-1888.