The Mrs. A.D. Francis Endowment Fund awarded grants to three public charities serving the Winnsboro, Texas area. The fund, held at East Texas Communities Foundation in Tyler, Texas, made grants to the Winnsboro Community Resource Center, Winnsboro Center for the Arts and East Texas Crisis Center.
“We are pleased to carry out the legacy of Mrs. A.D. Francis with the assistance the Winnsboro Community Foundation,” said Kyle Penney, President of East Texas Communities Foundation. “We greatly appreciate the help of the Winnsboro Community Foundation in selecting projects which meet the needs of the Winnsboro community.”
Winnsboro Community Resource Center received a grant to purchase a commercial freezer. The Winnsboro Community Resource Center (WCRC) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to lifting the lives of the economically disadvantaged in the community by providing the stepping stones that will lead to safety, stability and a path to self-sufficiency. In 2019, WCRC served over 1900 families.“The recent pandemic has caused more local families to seek additional support due to the loss of jobs or reduced work hours,” said Winnsboro Community Resource Center Executive Director, Ray Richter. “With the funds provided by this grant, we can purchase the freezer and be better prepared to serve the increase demand without negatively impacting our overall budget.” Richter added that by upgrading the freezer capacity, WCRC has dooubled their frozen storage.
“We have been receiving an additional 10 families, on average, each month requesting food assistance,” Richter said. “We primarily provide shelf-stable foods but feel that the addition of frozen meat will give a greater variety to our food offerings.”
Winnsboro Center for the Arts was awarded a grant to help plan for a book festival in the spring of 2021. “Covid-19 forced us to postpone our 2020 event,” said Mary White, Executive Director for the Winnsboro Center for the Arts. “We are collaborating with Gilbreath Memorial Library in planning next year’s event where we will pay tribute to the late Katharine (Kate) Park who was integral in establishing a book festival in Winnsboro.”
The inaugural Festival of Books will take place in the downtown Winnsboro Cultural Arts District. Activities will include a farmers market, children’s story time, crafting and panel discussion featuring Texas authors. The festival will be free to the public.
The Winnsboro Center for the Arts mission is to engage people in the arts through educational programming, cultural experiences and entertainment.
The East Texas Crisis Center (ETCC) received funding to provide emergency financial assistance to victims of family violence and sexual assault in Wood County. “Women travel to our Winnsboro office from all areas of Wood County and often have limited financial resources,” said Jeremy Flowers, Special Event Assistant at East Texas Crisis Center. “Funding provided by the grant will allow ETCC to provide gas cards on an emergency basis to assist with transportation so that women can continue to receive crisis intervention counseling and assistance with family protective orders.”
East Texas Crisis Center is dedicated to providing safety, shelter and education for victims of family violence, sexual assault, and other violent crime. All services are provided at no cost.
The Mrs. A.D. Francis Endowment Fund, held at East Texas Communities Foundation (ETCF) in partnership with the Winnsboro Community Foundation (WCF), makes grants in support of strong projects based on good ideas and compelling needs in the Winnsboro community. The purpose of the Fund is to support and build the capacity of public charities serving Wood County.
Recent Comments