Family Promise President Karen Olson and Walmart’s Gene Lydecker.
The Walmart Foundation has awarded Family Promise, the Summit-based national nonprofit helping homeless families, a grant of $25,000 for their Union County, New Jersey program. Family Promise-Union County, a program of the Family Promise national office, works locally with homeless and at-risk families to help them move through homelessness to affordable housing and financial independence.
Geleen Donovan, Executive Director of the Union County program, said, “We are deeply grateful for Walmart’s donation which ensures that we can continue to provide shelter, food and essential services to homeless families in our community.”
Family Promise-Union County comprises 34 congregations as host and support sites. Over the past two years, they have served 171 families, providing emergency shelter, permanent housing support, case management and preventative referral services. Initiatives that the Walmart grant may help support include:
- Rental assistance program to help guest families transition to affordable and sustainable housing;
- Need 2 Read, a literacy program to build an appreciation for reading in children;
- Rides of Hope, a partnership with Farmers Insurance to provide refurbished vehicles to families in the program;
- Family Promise Club at Summit High School to give students the opportunity to make a difference in their own community;
- Field trip program sponsoring trips for guest families to Turtle Back Zoo, RVCC Planetarium, Liberty Science Center, Disney on Ice, and the Harlem Globetrotters.
For more information about the Union County program, contact Geleen Donovan at (908) 289-7300 or email her here.
