100 Women Who Care gives $10K to First State Community Action Agency

Members of 100 Women Who Care Southern Delaware gathered at First State Community Action Agency in Georgetown June 14 to present an award of $10,500, kicking off the group’s third year of supporting Sussex County nonprofit organizations.

Bernice Edwards, First State executive director, was joined by staff, board members, volunteers and clients to accept the award. The ceremony was followed by a tour of the facilities, including the food pantry, free grocery store, organic garden and space provided to Springboard Pallet Village, offering interim sleeping shelters.

In partnership with 100 Women Who Care Southern Delaware, the Richard M. Schulze Family Foundation, based in Minnesota, contributed an additional $5,000.  

First State was formed in 1965 as the Sussex County Community Action Agency by a group of concerned citizens. This nonprofit organization has expanded to serve the entire state, offering a diverse array of programs that target the root causes of poverty. Client-based services help low-income individuals of all ages, their families and communities move from a state of crisis to sustainability and self-sufficiency. Community development outreach supports collaboration among residents to combat problems such as injustice, crime and drug abuse. And after-school programs provide a safe, engaging environment that promotes academic success, personal growth, healthy social development, and life-long learning.

These funds will be used in large part to support their summer Freedom School and summer youth employment. Bernice Edwards spoke about how much this grant from 100 Women means to their organization, with its ever-broadening reach and scope of services. “Our clients are still trying to recover financially and emotionally from the COVID pandemic,” she stressed. “Securing these youth programs helps support a range of financial, academic, and emotional needs, even supplementing parents’ incomes.”

Members of 100 Women Who Care Southern Delaware commit to donating $100 every three months. At quarterly luncheons, three are selected to make a pitch for their favored local nonprofit and the voting that follows determines the recipient for that round of giving. The next meeting will be held in September.

For more information, go to Facebook for 100 Women Who Care Southern Delaware, or email 100womencaresd@gmail.com.