Bayou Community Foundation Grants $226,000 to 30 Local Nonprofits

Thirty local nonprofits working in Lafourche, Terrebonne, and Grand Isle were awarded grants totaling $226,000 by Bayou Community Foundation, which will help fill critical needs in the Bayou Region.

President Henry Lafont said, “The past year has tested us all, and through it all, our nonprofits have shined brighter than ever before. Today, Bayou Community Foundation celebrates our local nonprofits that work tirelessly to help the neediest among us and demonstrate the compassion and resiliency of our unique Bayou community.” He gave thanks to “the amazing generosity of our donors, BCF is delighted to fund $226,000 in grants to 30 organizations that are feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless, protecting the vulnerable and making our entire community an even better place to call home.”

Bayou Community Foundation Executive Director Jennifer Armand said that local nonprofits are working hard each and every day throughout our community to address critical needs that often go unnoticed. She said, “There is no place like home, and with generous gifts to the BCF Grants Fund, our donors have opened their hearts and pocketbooks to help sustain these critical programs and strengthen our community. There is no place like home, and with generous gifts to the BCF Grants Fund, our donors have opened their hearts and pocketbooks to help sustain these critical programs and strengthen our community,”

Bayou Community Foundation has funded annual grants for $1.65 million since 2013. The organization has also funded nearly $700,000 in grants awarded from its Bayou Recovery Fun in 2020 for COVID-19 and Hurricane Zeta Relief. The 2021 grants have supported food and medicine distribution, housing for the homeless and victims of abuse, provided resources and tutoring for at-risk youth, job and recreation programs for residents with disabilities, counseling and addiction recovery, plus more!

2021 Grant Program donors include The Gheens Foundation, Chevron, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Louisiana Foundation, and many local individuals, families, and businesses who are passionate about our coastal community. Leah Brown, Public Affairs Manager for Chevron’s Gulf of Mexico Business Unit, said, “At Chevron, we believe in contributing to the communities where we live and work. We’re proud to support the Bayou Community Foundation and their mission to build and sustain Lafourche Parish, Terrebonne Parish, and Grand Isle….”

The following 30 organizations received grants from Bayou Community Foundation today:

• A Place of Restoration – $7,500 – Cooking equipment and food supplies to prepare hot meals for the needy 
• Bayou Civic Club – $7,500 – Replacement of air-conditioning system in Larose Civic Center gym 
• Bunkhouse Shelter, Inc. – $10,000 – Emergency shelter and hot meals for homeless in Terrebonne & Lafourche 
• CASA of Lafourche – $4,000 – Recruitment and training for new CASA volunteers  
• CASA of Terrebonne – $6,000 – Recruitment and training for new CASA volunteers and support for tutoring program
• Catholic Community Center – $6,000 – Food Bank shelving and storage; distribution of food and supplies to needy
• Caritas Food Pantry – $10,000 – Distribution of food and household supplies to needy
• Crossroads Pregnancy Resource Center – $10,000 – Family Values Parenting Program and distribution of baby supplies
• Dulac Community Center – $6,500 – Computer lab and classes for needy students and elderly in the area
• Faith Ministries, International – $3,000 – Distribution of food and household supplies to the needy 
• Friends of P.A.C.T. Place – $3,000 – Security system upgrades to improve safety for participating families and staff 
• Helio Foundation – $7,000 – Food distribution to needy students at Terrebonne Parish Title 1 elementary schools  
• Hope Center – $9,000 – Commercial freezer and pallet-moving equipment for Food Bank
• Hope Restored Pregnancy Resource Center – $11,000 – Outreach to local women in crisis pregnancies 
• House of Prayer of Thibodaux – $7,000 – Community playground for young children with special needs 
• Jacob’s Ladder – $3,500 – Addiction recovery programs for individuals in prison and transitioning back into society
• Lafourche ARC – $5,000 – Sign-making equipment for new work program for individuals with disabilities
• Lafourche Education Foundation – $10,000 – Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library books for preschool children 
• Lifted by Love – $12,000 – Transitional housing program for 25 young women and children 
• MacDonell Children’s Services – $11,000 – Laptops, internet access for student and young adult residents
• New Life Counseling Center – $7,000 – Reduced-cost mental health counseling sessions for underserved residents
• Plymouth Rock Baptist Church – $3,000 – Distribution of food and household supplies to the needy
• St. Vincent de Paul Tri-Parish Pharmacy – $10,000 – Distribution of 3,600 free prescriptions to the poor and elderly
• Terrebonne ARC – $10,000 – Cooking equipment to support work program for individuals with disabilities
• Terrebonne Churches United Food Bank – $8,500 – Distribution of food and household supplies to the needy
• Terrebonne Foundation for Academic Excellence – $10,000 – Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library books for preschoolers
• The Haven – $10,000 – Domestic Violence Flexible Housing Fund, providing safe homes for 40-50 families in need
• Upside Downs, Inc. – $10,000 – Annual community event for young people with disabilities and their families
• Wallace Community Center – $5,000 – Beyond the Bell after-school program for needy youth in Alidore community 
• We Can All Ring – $3,500 – Speaker system for bell concerts performed by individuals with disabilities

“A Place of Restoration is so grateful to the Bayou Community Foundation for this ‘Restoration Through Service’ grant,” said Jeremy Smith, Executive Director of the Terrebonne Parish nonprofit. “Our mission is to help men in addiction, and with this grant, we will be able to help them by teaching them to help others. We will be cooking and serving meals at the House of Hope on the second Saturday of every month. One of the most powerful transformations in the life of a recovering addict is the change from being a taker to being a giver. It will be our privilege to serve the community as we watch this process take place.”