IP’s Pensacola Mill awards $63,000 in grants to support 21 local nonprofit projects

International Paper’s Pensacola Mill has awarded $63,000 in International Paper Foundation grants to 21 local organizations.

The grants demonstrate the company’s commitment to education, hunger, health and wellness, disaster relief and initiatives that improve the planet, according to International Paper.

Local community organizations and their projects awarded grants for 2022:

• Ascension Sacred Heart Foundation – Pediatric Health and Wellness Clinic

• Autism Pensacola – 2023 Kids for Camp Summer Learning Lab

• Bright Bridge Ministries – Hot, Healthy Meals

• Capstone Adaptive Learning and Therapy Centers – Expression through Language

• Children’s Home Society – After School and Summer Learning Gains and Enrichment

• Council on Aging of West Florida – Windmill Generator Kits for Kids

• Covenant Hospice Foundation – My Wish to Terminally Ill Children and Adults

• Escambia Search and Rescue – Project Lifesaver International Program

• Feeding the Gulf Coast – Backpack Program: Weekend Meals for Children

• Foodraising Friends – Food in the Home Everyday

• Health and Hope Clinic – Strengthening Clinic Capacity for Care

• Jim Allen Elementary – B.E.S.T. Books for Reading

• Lakeview Center – Supporting Youth in Group Homes

• Manna Food Bank – Healthy Kids Initiative

• Pace Band Boosters – Pace Band New Threads

• Pace Center for Girls – Literacy Intervention

• Pensacola Little Theatre – A Face of Arts Education and the Art of Movement

• ReadyKids! – Ready Readers

• Ronald McDonald House of Northwest Florida – Heart to Heart

• The Arc Gateway – Big Impacts for Children through Access to Tools and Materials

• Valerie’s House – No Child Grieves Alone, Group Night Activities

More:Sandy Sansing makes $100,000 contribution to mission of Gulf Coast Kid’s House

More:Operation Santa brings joy of Christmas to more than 1,400 children in welfare system

Grants were determined after committee review with local team members. Recommendations are subsequently reviewed by the International Paper Foundation’s grants committee, which then must be confirmed and ratified by the foundation’s board of trustees. Organizations are invited to take an eligibility assessment at ipgiving.com to see if their program is eligible to apply for funding.

For more information on the process, call 850-968-3076 or email whitney.fike@ipaper.com.

WolfGang and Hip Huggers support Escambia County Animal Shelter

The owners of WolfGang Park and Brews, along with the Krewe of Hip Huggers, recently presented a $665 check to the Escambia County Animal Shelter. The funds raised are from a raffle WolfGang and Hip Huggers did together to help benefit heartworm positive dogs in the shelter.

The Escambia County Animal Shelter is WolfGang’s second annual Pawdi Gras Paw-rade benefactor and the Hip Huggers philanthropy for the year. The organizations are working together to raise money for them from now until the Pawdi Gras event on Feb. 5.

Visit wolfgangparkandbrews.com for details.

Escambia County, Opening Doors collecting winter care packages

Escambia County staff, community partners and Opening Doors Northwest Florida are collecting items for winter care packages for homeless citizens. Some items requested for the packages include winter gloves, backpacks, fleece blankets, non-perishable foods and flashlights.

Citizens who would like to donate items from the wish list may ship or bring items to Opening Doors Northwest Florida at 1020 N. New Warrington Road, Pensacola, FL 32506. A full list of requested items can be viewed on the wish list at openingdoorsnwfl.org. Monetary donations can be made and will be used to purchase items from the wish list. Donated items can be shipped or dropped off until Jan. 20.

More:Hollinger Award recipients honored for contributions to Baptist Health Care Foundation

More:Felix’s partners with national agency to feed homeless vets at Pensacola Veterans Village

Opening Doors Northwest Florida is a nonprofit organization dedicated to ending homelessness in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties. The organization works to permanently change the lives of those who are living, or close to living, without a home because everyone deserves a safe place to sleep at night.

Visit openingdoorsnwfl.org for details.

Pensacola issues 100% of its Emergency Housing Voucher allocation

The city of Pensacola recently announced that 100% of the Emergency Housing Vouchers it received from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development targeted for homeless households have been allocated to eligible families, providing an opportunity for these families to find housing and other much-needed housing assistance.The city of Pensacola Housing Department received an allocation of 35 Emergency Housing Vouchers from the U.S. Department of HUD targeted for homeless households. These tenant-based vouchers were designed to assist households who are homeless or at risk of homelessness or fleeing domestic or other kinds of violence.The city of Pensacola Housing Department partnered with Opening Doors Northwest Florida Inc. to accept referrals of eligible clients and to provide services for program implementation. As of today, 100% of these allocated vouchers are assigned to eligible families, with the majority successfully housed and a few still seeking rental units.Vouchers provided under these programs provide a housing subsidy to a private landlord on a program participant’s behalf which assists with paying a portion of the rent. Landlords interested in listing their properties to these and other housing choice voucher clients may visit cityofpensacola.com for details.

Take part: To make a Causes submission, email giving@pnj.com.

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This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: International Paper Pensacola Mill awards $63K to local nonprofits