wfn.org | Newsline: Matching grant program provides $206,000 to local food banks

[cobnews <cobnews@brethren.org>]

Newsline: Church of the Brethren News Service -- Feb. 26, 2009
Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford, News Director
800-323-8039 ext. 260 -- cobnews@brethren.org

MATCHING GRANT PROGRAM PROVIDES $206,000 TO LOCAL FOOD BANKS

(Feb. 26, 2009) Elgin, IL -- The Church of the Brethren's "Domestic Hunger  Matching Grant" program has now provided a total of $206,000 to food banks  and local hunger relief organizations across the country.

That total includes amounts raised by the 217 congregations that have taken  part so far, and matching grants given by two Church of the Brethren funds --the Global Food Crisis Fund (GFCF) and the Emergency Disaster Fund (EDF)- -in partnership with the denomination's Stewardship department.

Earlier this month the two funds requested second allocations for the progr am after the original grant amount had been completely disbursed. As of Feb  23, the $87,500 designated by the funds was fully expended. The amount rai sed by the 217 congregations averaged $545; the matching grants averaged $4 03. Together, congregational gifts and matching grants have provided $206,0 00 to local hunger relief.

Currently, at least 16 more congregations are awaiting matching grants. "Be cause of two donor gifts of $20,000 each, designated for US families entren ched in poverty or hungry, we hope to be able to fulfill the remaining gran t requests," said Ken Neher, director of the Stewardship department.

"Thanks are beginning to roll in from food banks," reported Howard Royer, m anager of the Global Food Crisis Fund, "Johnstown, Pa.; Tonasket, Wash.; Ho pewell, Pa.; Polo, Ill.; Lancaster, Pa.; Rocky Mount, Va.; Petersburg, Va.;  and Baltimore, Md., thus far."

The cutoff date for the program is March 15. Go to www.brethren.org/site/Do cServer/Domestic_Hunger_cong_ap_January_2009.pdf?docID=1001 for more info rmation.

The Church of the Brethren is a Christian denomination committed to continu ing the work of Jesus peacefully and simply, and to living out its faith in  community. The denomination is based in the Anabaptist and Pietist faith t raditions and is one of the three Historic Peace Churches. It celebrated it s 300th anniversary in 2008. It counts more than 125,000 members across the  United States and Puerto Rico, and has missions and sister churches in Nig eria, Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and India.

># # #

>For more information contact:

>Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford
>Director of News Services
>Church of the Brethren
>1451 Dundee Ave., Elgin, IL 60120
>800-323-8039 ext. 260
>cobnews@brethren.org