Telegraph Staff Writer
STARKE— The Clay Electric Foundation awarded 14 charities $135,320 in grants for January, including four in Bradford County, which received $51,000 in funding.
The foundation awarded $1,000 to Concerned Citizens of Bradford County Inc. to fund the organization’s six-week summer camp program.
Clay Electric said in a news release that Concerned Citizens is an outreach organization dedicated to the needy, deprived, and seniors, especially to the proper rearing of children to become model citizens.
The group specializes in educating, teaching character, building confidence, and modeling positive behavior through its after-school club, summer day camp, senior club and youth sports.
The Altrusa Club of Starke received $10,000 for its kindergarten through second-grade literacy program.
The foundation awarded the Bradford Food Pantry $20,000 to purchase a walk-in freezer and $20,000 to Bradford’s Communities in Schools for programming to increase graduation rates in the county.
Other January grant recipients were:
ReNew Recovery Café was awarded $15,000. The Daytona Beach nonprofit offers free, low-barrier, trauma-informed community-based services to diverse populations on the path to recovery. Funds for the grant will be applied to the renovation of the center’s kitchen to help prepare meals for members;
Seamark Ranch in Clay County: $15,000. Seamark Ranch was organized in Northeast Florida in 2001 to provide a solid Christian home for abused, neglected, abandoned, orphaned, and homeless children in need of a chance. Grant funds will cover a portion of the children’s mental health program;
The Frank DeLuca YMCA Family Center in Marion County received $2,500 for its scholarship fund;
ISKCON of Gainesville, commonly known as Krishna House, received $13,920. The Alachua County nonprofit administers food programs that fight food insecurity. Grant funds will help increase the number of meals that can be served each week;
Marion County’s Stirrups ‘n Strides Therapeutic Riding Center was awarded $3,000 to fund scholarships for riders.
Stirrups ‘n Strides’ provides therapeutic horseback riding and carriage driving to anyone with physical, mental or emotional challenges;
Catholic Charities Bureau in Putnam County received $10,000 for its emergency assistance program, which provides financial assistance to clients for essential utilities, housing, transportation or medication.
