As part of The Starbucks Foundation’s Neighborhood Grants program, The Light House Homeless Prevention Support Center in Annapolis was selected to receive a $5,000 grant. This grant award is thanks to a nomination(s) from a local Starbucks partner (employee) who recognized the organization’s work in providing vital homelessness prevention and support services in their community. Through this unique program, The Starbucks Foundation invites Starbucks partners to nominate a local organization in their community.
The Light House provides food, shelter, case management, and other basic needs services to over 2,000 community members in need in a typical year. Due to the Covid-19 crisis, the number of people served by The Light House has increased by a staggering 40%.
“With this record number of individuals and families seeking our services, our operating costs have increased by over 30%,” stated Heather Cassity, Interim Executive Director at The Light House. “We are continuing to serve as many individuals and families as we possibly can and support from our community is more important than ever. All of us at The Light House are grateful that local Starbucks partners nominated our organization for this Neighborhood Grant. We are truly a community that cares for our neighbors, and together we will continue to rise to this challenge.”
“We know that our impact in communities is most meaningful when our efforts begin with our partners (employees) who know their neighbors best,” said Starbucks chief social impact officer and The Starbucks Foundation board member Virginia Tenpenny. “Since the beginning, Starbucks has been about more than coffee. We are a people company rooted in a mission to nurture the human spirit. To do this well, we will continue to invest in meaningful ways to help our communities thrive.”
Last year alone, The Light House provided emergency and transitional housing for 189 individuals, including 25 children. In addition, their Safe Harbour Resource Center staff assisted over 280 households at risk of losing their housing and successfully prevented them from becoming homeless. The Light House also distributed over 270,000 pounds of healthy pantry items and provided over 83,000 meals to individuals and families struggling with homelessness and food insecurity. This generous funding from The Starbucks Foundation will help provide the vital programs and services vulnerable community members need to live healthy and stable lives.
