Three Augusta nonprofits part of A Community Thrives crowdsourcing effort. You can help.

Golden Harvest Food Bank, the Jessye Norman School of the Arts and the Brown Family Foundation are hoping community members will donate to their cause over the next month and land them extra funding this year.

They are among more than 700 nonprofits nationwide that are fundraising until Aug. 12 as part of the Gannett Foundation's A Community Thrives crowdfunding and grant program, a $2 million initiative. The Augusta Chronicle is owned by Gannett Co. Inc.

The nonprofits have one month to raise money through the online platform Mightycause and must reach a minimum of $3,000 or $6,000, depending on their operating budget, to qualify as a grant recipient. Through the site, users can donate to an organization of their choice by filtering the cause type, location and category.

For example, a search of the 41 Georgia nonprofits shows another three that extend their reach into the Augusta community: Captain Planet Foundation Inc., Compassionate Atlanta and Fair Count.

Here's how each of the three Augusta-based grant applicants say they would use the money as well as links to their fundraising pages. To learn more about all of the 2022 A Community Thrives participating organizations and to make donations, visit acommunitythrives.mightycause.com.

Golden Harvest Food Bank, Inc.  

The mission of Golden Harvest Food Bank is "to transform lives by feeding our hungry neighbors today and building a healthy, hunger-free tomorrow," according to the nonprofit's grant application.

In its 40 years of service, Golden Harvest has distributed more than 350 million pounds of groceries through its Masters Table soup kitchen, which serves 200 people a hot meal daily, its mobile distribution sites in Augusta and Aiken, its backpack ministry and through affiliated agencies. It serves an 11,000-square-mile area and is a member of Feeding America, the national food bank network.

Inflation and the COVID-19 pandemic have resulted in more need for their services they wrote.

"With this grant, Golden Harvest can provide additional food to our agency partners in Augusta. … We need to do more," which means "providing more food, increasing their ability to reach out to the hungry, increasing their capacity, connecting them with partners who can support their mission and making more food available for youth, seniors and every age in between," Golden Harvest said.

Community reach: Food insecurity has grown, Golden Harvest Food Bank is expanding to help

"This project will help sustain the people who live and work in the Harrisburg/Laney Walker neighborhoods who struggle with food insecurity, live in food deserts, are struggling to pay bills and feed their families. We want to remove the burden of hunger from them."

How to donate: Find the Golden Harvest Food Bank fundraising page for A Community Thrives here.

The Jessye Norman School of the Arts

"Developing students to become creative, visionary, responsible citizens through the transformative power of the arts" is the mission of the Jessye Norman School of the Arts, located at 739 Greene St. in Augusta.

The school was founded in 2003 by the late opera singer who called Augusta home. It offers after school and summer arts education to all members of the community, their grant application said, including core programming for "low-income and predominantly African-American 4th- through 12th-graders, in part to help undo the effects of systemic educational disenfranchisement that such communities have faced."

More than 300 students are served annually in its free, after school program that "challenges students academically, integrates technology, lays the foundation for extraordinary life experiences, and provides professional-quality arts instruction for talented children who desire to pursue the arts regardless of economic circumstance," the organization said.

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The school wants to use a grant awarded through A Community Thrives for its Multidisciplinary Afterschool Arts Education Program, which meets weekdays during the school year. The students served "will receive free tuition, free meals, and free academic and literacy support, as well as individualized attention and quality arts instruction." Students demonstrate what they have learned in a biannual arts showcase.

"The fact that none of our students have dropped out of their day school in the past five years and the fact that 100% of JNSA students graduate high school speaks to the strong educational impact our services have," the school said.   

How to donate: Find The Jessye Norman School of the Arts fundraising page here.

The Brown Family Children's Foundation, Inc.

The Brown Family Children's Foundation, Inc. is known throughout the Augusta community for more than its namesake, the late James Brown. The foundation seeks "to serve, educate and uplift families in the communities we serve," according to their A Community Thrives grant application.

The foundation's Turkey Giveaway food drive at Thanksgiving and its Toy Giveaway each Christmas "impact 500 families annually who face an economic barrier during what can be a stressful time of year," the application says. "By easing just one burden for families, we are able to see a positive impact in the lives of those served by our programs."

The nonprofit is seeking grant funding specifically for its James Brown Academy of Musik Pupils, also known as J.A.M.P., a year-round music education program for school-aged children.

"J.A.M.P. strives for instrument mastery, an understanding of music theory and performance of youth using the music of the Godfather of Soul as inspiration. Education is our main focus be it through music, health/wellness or financial assistance. We believe that knowledge, and exposure to new ideas, people and places are the best ways to build a community that is healthy, thriving and inclusive," they wrote.

How to donate: Find the fundraising page for The Brown Family Children's Foundation Inc. here.

Deanna Brown-Thomas, Brown's daughter, collaborated with educational consultants and music educators across the country to create J.A.M.P. In the afterschool program from September to May and during a six-week summer intensive program students learn music theory and work to master at least one instrument. Students also learn music production and have performance opportunities.

The foundation noted that students gain "productive citizenship" because J.A.M.P. is a performing ensemble. "Confidence building through instrument mastery and collaboration enables students to face a crowd of any size. This understanding of one’s ability to play an active role often spills over into the academic and social realms." 

This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: 3 Augusta nonprofits part of A Community Thrives crowdsourcing effort