April 22, 2003

CHICAGO (ELCA) - The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) awarded $826,750 in grants to projects that address hunger and poverty in urban and rural communities across the United States.

Through the church's Domestic Hunger Grants program, projects were funded in three distinct areas: direct relief, projects and activities that provide direct access to food, temporary shelter, clothing and medical supplies; community development, activities and projects that address the systematic causes of hunger and poverty; and community organizing, broad-based multi-issue organizing in communities to "empower the poor, bring voice to the voiceless and empower the powerless."

The domestic hunger grants committee received 396 applications requesting more than $2.5 million, said Trudy Brubaker, acting director for community development services, ELCA Division for Church in Society. The committee disbursed about $826,750 to 295 sites.

"Priority was given to applications that addressed people with the least resources for meeting their basic needs, and women and children who live in poverty," Brubaker said.

"The average grant was $2,500. There were more direct relief applications this year, asking for more money to buy food for pantries and soup kitchens. We heard from many folks who said they are seeing more people in their food pantries and soup kitchens than ever before. One place reported that 89 percent of their clients are working, just underemployed," she said.

In the relief area, 153 of 204 applications received funds totaling $355,250. In the development area, 90 of 117 applications received funds totaling $285,400 and, in the organizing area, 52 of 75 applications received funds totaling $186,100.

The committee met here March 10-12 to review applications and make decisions. Criteria used to select grant recipients include activities that relate to relief (immediate access to food, shelter, clothing, medical supplies and care), sustainable development (adequate housing, jobs, health care and disease prevention), community organizing, education and advocacy.

The program offers a "Domestic Hunger Grants Catalogue" to describe how the grant program works. "The catalogue lists all current grant recipients and provides a brief description for each," said Aaron M. Cooper, writer and editor of the catalogue, Division for Church in Society. He said the 2003 catalogue will be available in July at http://www.elca.org/dcs/hunger.grant.html on the Internet.

ELCA News Service