Baltimore Community Foundation to release first round of Key Bridge relief grants
Summary
The nonprofit Baltimore Community Foundation (BCF) Tuesday announced it will award the first round of grants to local community-based organizations offering charitable relief in response to the March 26 Key Bridge collapse and closure of the Port of Baltimore.The grant money comes from BCFs Maryland Tough Baltimore Strong Key Bridge Fund, created within 48 hours of the Key Bridge collapsing and stemming from an outpouring of support from national, regional, and local businesses and philanthropists. So far, the fund has raised $15.6 million.The following organizations were selected as BCFs first round of philanthropic grant awardees: Community Assistance Network ($366,000) The Community Assistance Network (CAN) is a nonprofit based in Dundalk that develops, operates and supports programs that reduce vulnerability and empower personal growth among people in Baltimore County experiencing economic challenges. With the grant money, CAN will produce 2,925 care packages, including food supplies covering three meals and snacks for seven days for a family of four. Funding will also be used to add new temporary roles to conduct bilingual community outreach to support the 400% increase in Spanish-speaking WARMLine requests since this time last year. BCFs contribution would fund first-line responders, MSW-credentialed case workers, WARMLine operators, and outreach associates.