Bayou Community Foundation Grants $316,500 to 32 Bayou Region Nonprofits

The Wallace Community Center received a $7,000 grant today for its after-school program that offers tutoring, meals and enrichment services for under-served youth in the Lafourche Parish community of Alidore.

“The Wallace Community Center provides wholesome learning experiences for the children we serve, and this year’s grant will help us to continue that mission with our Kids in the Kitchen program as well as other life skills lessons,” said Heather Benoit, Director of the Center’s Beyond the Bell program. “Before being awarded these grants, Beyond the Bell had very little resources and accessibility. The Bayou Community Foundation has been a pillar to our program and has helped steer our path to where we are now.”

Donors to the grants program include The Gheens Foundation, Chevron, Woodside Energy and many local individuals, families and businesses who are passionate about our coastal community here in Lafourche, Terrebonne and Grand Isle.

“At Chevron, we believe in contributing to the communities where we live and work,” said Leah Brown, Public Affairs Manager for Chevron’s Gulf of Mexico Business Unit. “We’re proud to support the Bayou Community Foundation and their mission to build and sustain Lafourche Parish, Terrebonne Parish, and Grand Isle. We look forward seeing the positive impact these grants will produce in the near term, as well as what we can continue to accomplish together in the future.”

“This is truly the most wonderful day of the year for Bayou Community Foundation as we witness the power of philanthropy at work to strengthen our coastal community! With generous gifts to our Grants Fund and Bayou Recovery Fund, donors have opened their hearts and pocketbooks to help us expand critical nonprofit programs serving Lafourche, Terrebonne and Grand Isle residents. Giving makes great things happen!” said Executive Director Jennifer Armand.

The complete list of grantees include:

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 tutors

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

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 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

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