Foundation announces awards
Staff writer
Although its annual February Pancake Day won’t be held this Saturday because of COVID-19 restrictions, Peabody Community Foundation will give $9,000 to 10 charities this month.
Grants were made for repairs to the Print Museum, support for the Fall Festival, improvements to Peabody-Burns school weight room, and the Christmas Light Fund.
“We will be fixing the wall, painting, and doing the ceiling in at the Print Museum,” Historical Museum board chairman Marcia Bloomer Sebree said.
“We’ll be using the funds for music groups and advertising for our Oct. 2, 2021 event,” Fall Festival committee leader Ginger Whitney said.
Money will be given to the Hart Park playground equipment effort, meals for children at Peabody-Burns Elementary School through the Kansas Food Bank Warehouse Food 4 Kids program, and to Court Appointed Special Advocates to recruit and train local volunteers.
Three grants were given to organizations that serve people struggling with poverty: Core Community, Families and Communities Together, which provides emergency financial assistance, and the Peabody community Angel Tree.
Those grants were funded by the Peabody Community Foundation’s Endowment Fund and Kansas Health Fund Endowment.
The pass-through Community Relief Fund, which has given $6,656 to charities that help with to hardship caused by COVID-19, is now depleted.
“People have been very generous,” said Peabody Community Foundation director Becky Nickel.
The most recent grants went to the Peabody food bank and the Association of Churches, which uses the money to help families in need of rent and utility assistance.
The foundation hopes to provide additional grants from this fund when more money is donated. Donations can be made online at bit.ly/donate-peabodycf or by mailing a check payable to PCF to PO Box 18, Peabody, KS 66866, with “Community Relief Fund” in the memo line.