2021 Mission Society Grant Summaries
Each year, the St. Elizabeth Mission Society provides grants for programs and projects that are in line with the mission, vision and direction of the Franciscan Sisters of Allegany. A Franciscan Sister of Allegany (FSA) Member or Associate must be directly affiliated and actively engaged in the program or project. The maximum grant award is $5,000 (USD).
Funded grants are projects that provide service to those who are poor and promote self-sufficiency and systemic change, including food, clothing, shelter needs, medical assistance, educational programs and supplies as well as capital improvements and equipment. An accountability report is due at the conclusion of the grant cycle.
Printable 2021 April Grant Summaries – PDF
Sponsored Share Program in the Tri-County Region – Canticle Farm, Inc. – Allegany, NY
$5,000.00 Sr. Melissa Scholl, OSF
Canticle Farm is a non-profit, Certified Naturally Grown (CNG), Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm and is a sponsored ministry of the Franciscan Sisters of Allegany. The Sponsored Share Program provides at least 20% of its CSA shares to individuals and families in need. This local, healthy, naturally grown food is distributed through local food pantries, hot meal programs, shelters and recovery sites. Recipients are educated on how to utilize the fresh vegetables into their daily diets. The Mission Society grant provides 6.5 shares of produce. One share provides sufficient vegetables for a family of five people for 17 weeks.
Agroecology and Art to Live Well – Casa Dolce de Pobres – Bom Jesus da Lapa, Bahia, Brazil
$2,500.00 Sr. Cleusa Alves da Silva, OSF
The Franciscan Sisters of Allegany in Brazil, along with the Environmental Pastoral Movement, seek to develop educational activities and to raise awareness on how to care for and protect the earth and environment. This project looked to implement a productive garden area with fruit trees, seedling nurseries, medicinal plants and vegetables, along with an area for breeding chickens, as well as courses in agroecology, urban agriculture, and providing an educational wall painting. This was done with the hope to inspire healthy eating choices as well as initiative to care for the community and environment surrounding.
Saving Children in a Situation of Extreme Poverty – Casa Dolce de Pobres – Bom Jesus da Lapa, Bahia, Brazil
$2,500.00 Sr. Cleusa Alves da Silva, OSF
A large number of young children and families face social vulnerability and extreme poverty. With the Mission Society funding, this program provides the distribution of food for children and guidance to the families about nutrition, health care, spiritual formation, and education. The families were assisted, accompanied on daily visits, and aim to reduce malnutrition among children in socially vulnerable families.
Solidarity Garden, Helping Hands – Convento Mãe Admirável – Anápolis, GO, Brazil
$5,000.00 Sr. Ana Bernadete Albernaz, OSF
With an increased need from the Covid-19 pandemic, this project necessity came to life. With open areas that could be cultivated and used to expand the ways that care is given with the rising numbers of those in socially vulnerable situations. The grant provided by the Mission Society allowed a garden expansion to enable the planting and growing of more vegetables on the farm in Convento Mãe Admirável and, with the donation of vegetables, legumes, eggs and milk, the complementing and improving of food intake for approximately fifty more families per month.
Plant, Cultivate and Harvest Values for Fraternal Life – Convento Sagrada Familia – Macajuba, Bahia, Brazil
$5,000.00 Sr. Maria da Paz Jesus, OSF
Regions outside of areas attended to by public policies rely on the accompaniment and support of the Franciscan Sisters to carry out project activities. This project improves the quality of life of those who are poor in the region by providing for their basic needs, as well as contributing to education. The funds granted by the Mission Society enabled the purchase and donation of food baskets, restructuring of the water capturing system, school supplies, and building a cover for the community garden to help providing vegetables for families in the region.
Safety and Security for the Transportation Disadvantaged – Daystar Life Center – St. Petersburg, FL
$5,000.00 Sr. Marita Flynn, OSF
Daystar Life Center helps those who are seeking assistance for their basic needs: food, water, shelter. This project aims to provide direct assistance to those who are Transportation Disadvantaged that depend on their bicycle to travel. The Mission Society funds went to purchase bicycle locks, safety items, and lights for a minimum of 175 individuals to promote self-sufficiency through safeguarding their ability to have transportation to employment, appointments, and social activities.
Healing Hunger – The Dwelling Place of NY – New York, NY
$5,000.00 Sr. Nancy Chiarello, OSF
With the Covid-19 Pandemic, the hunger crisis in New York City has been worse than ever. The Dwelling Place has, for 50 years, been assisting those who are poor and socially vulnerable by housing homeless women and providing meals that are open to community women as well. With the monies from the Mission Society, the Dwelling Place purchased a refrigerator and freezer to store enough food for 800-1000 individuals per month. This is part of a plan to transition into a full food pantry.
A Place of Comfort: New Seating for Retreatants – The Franciscan Center – Tampa, FL
$5,000.00 Sr. Cathy Cahill, OSF
The Center welcomes more than 4,000 guests annually to retreats, worship, conferences, and meetings while remaining attentive to the need of their older guests. The funds from the St. Elizabeth Mission Society were used to purchase new chairs that will replace the worn and potentially unsafe seating around the center, as well as provide a cleaner, more attractive and welcoming environment for all.
Potable Water Supply & Distribution at Porziuncola Farm – Franciscan Ministries – Kingston, JA
$5,000.00 Sr. Grace Yap, OSF
Porziuncola Farm stands with the goal of establishing a farm to table organic restaurant. Through the funding granted, they have begun the process to obtaining domestic water on the farm by restoring the connection to the public water supply, installing piping for reliable distribution for all buildings on the farm, and to purchase a water meter. This enables the farm to attract more employment from the district.
Sandwiches for the Homeless Ministry – Holy Cross Church – Springfield, MA
$5,000.00 Sr. Cindy Matthews, OSF
Sandwiches for the Homeless provides food (sandwiches/drinks), socks and underwear to 200 homeless individuals in Springfield, Mass. every Sunday. The ministry, which includes parishioners and interested groups, has been making 400 ham and turkey sandwiches every week since 2006 and began providing basic clothing in 2011. The Mission Society grant made it possible to purchase the necessary ingredients for sandwiches distributed weekly to our homeless brothers and sisters in Springfield.
Water Harvesting & Sewage Management (WHSM)- Phase 2 – Immaculate Conception Convent – Kingston, JA
$5,000.00 Sr. Trinita Solneck, OSF
After previous funding enable the Convent to complete Phase one of the project, they moved on to ensure a reliable water supply for the premises and to replace the antiquated sewerage system currently serving the premises with a safe, self-sustaining, environmentally responsible system to reduce demand on municipal water. Funding from the Mission Society was used to complete Phase two: reduce demand, provide self-sufficient and environmentally responsible system, and minimize assessments levied against the municipal sewer system.
Security Wall & Gate for St. Isodore’s Catholic Church & School in La Gonave, Haiti – Partners with Haiti – St. Petersburg, FL
$5,000.00 Sr. Kathleen Stagnaro, OSF
Partners with Haiti is a 501(c)3 corporation, operating as an Apostolate of St. Paul’s Catholic Church, in the diocese of St. Petersburg, Florida. With the funding granted by the Mission Society, the St. Isadore Parish and it’s school, St. Bernadette, were able to demolish and rebuild a 350-yard, 50-year-old wall. This re-established and improved the safety and security of the compound. This enables a peaceful educational and worship experiences.
Education of Underserved Immigrant Women – School Sisters of Notre Dame Educational Center – Woodhaven, NY
$3,500.00 Sr. Margaret Mary Kimmins, OSF
The School Sisters of Notre Dame Educational Center offers free educational opportunities to underserved women of all faiths and ethnic backgrounds. It aims to educate the whole person while providing tools that will prepare her to enter the work force or move into college or vocational training programs. The Mission Society grants enabled the educational center to purchase books, software, and other program supplies to best serve the women that participate.
Make the Sisters’ House More Accessible – The Sisters’ House – Tampa, FL
$5,000.00 Sr. Cathy Cahill, OSF
The Sisters’ House aims to provide support for women in recovery from illnesses of addiction in themselves or in family members. By implementing an accessibility ramp and ease of access parking spot through the Mission Society funding, the Sisters’ House will create a more welcoming atmosphere. The ramp will allow those in wheelchairs easier access to the building and, for those in motorized ones, the capability to enter at all. The parking space closer to the door will allow those with mobility issues an easier time accessing the building as well. This allows those with mobility issues to be able to take advantage of the support that the Sisters’ House offers.
Interactive Whiteboards for Tech Literacy 2 – Southern Tier Catholic School – Olean, NY
$5,000.00 Sr. Rosemary Higgins, OSF
Archbishop Walsh Academy / Southern Tier Catholic School serves children from ages 3 to 18 in Montessori through grade 12. Technology is an undeniable part of our economy and students’ future, especially as educational practices shift with Covid-19. The Mission Society’s grant will go to purchasing one Interactive Whiteboard, with a larger display (75”) and a portable trolley to allow the display screen to be used in more than one classroom. The hope is that by bringing in more current technology students will be ready to succeed academically no matter what obstacle is thrown at them. The Interactive Whiteboards provide a gauge for the instructor to immediately assess how the students have understood the material and, dry erase markers and erasers become unnecessary which eliminates that waste.
St. Anthony’s Garden – St. Anthony’s Hospital – St. Petersburg, FL
$5,000.00 Sr. Mary McNally, OSF
The goal of the project is to educate individuals, with an emphasis on those from low-income households, on how to create and maintain a backyard garden. With the funds from the Mission Society’s grant, the St. Anthony’s Hospital was able to complete the final stage in their plan to develop a sustainable community garden to benefit the neighborhoods served by the Hospital. The purpose of the project was to build an irrigation system that works in tandem with the rain catchment system built using last year’s funding. During Covid-19, water became irregular due to the challenge of relying upon volunteers to water the garden, as well as limit the amount of food waste and bugs that destroy the produce.
Human Concerns- Homeless Prevention – St. Francis Community Center, LBICC – Long Beach Twp., NJ
$5,000.00 Madeline Foley
The Homelessness Prevention Program provides Southern Ocean County residents with an opportunity to identify services to resolve their housing needs. Along with housing assistance, all clients are offered food assistance as well through the food pantry. With the monies from the Mission Society, the St. Francis Community Center will be able to provide approximately ten households with rental assistance, with increased numbers of clients due to Covid‐19.
Roof Repair – St. Francis Primary & Infant School – Kingston, JA
$5,000.00 Sr. Maureen Clare Hall, OSF
Serving children between the ages of 4 and 12, the St. Francis Primary and Infant School has a pressing need for repairing the roof above the administrative and grade 6 portions of the school. Currently, at the time of funding requested, the roof was leaking badly and equipment, as well as building structure, is at higher risk of getting wet and causing safety issues. With the help of the Mission Society’s grant, the St. Francis Primary and Infant School was able to repair the roof, and if any funding is leftover to replace or repair equipment that was ruined from the leakage.
St. Anne Conference – St. Vincent de Paul – Ruskin, FL
$5,000.00 Sr. Kathleen Keck, OSF
The St. Anne Conference of the St. Vincent DePaul Society has the purpose of servicing those who are poor in the surrounding communities of Gibsonton, Ruskin, and Apollo Beach, Florida. The conference office is open three days each week, with help also available through a 24-hour hotline ran by St. Vincent DePaul Society volunteers. With the Covid-19 pandemic, the need for assistance has risen. Funding from the Mission Society will help to meet the rising needs of the community. The conference assists with things like food, clothing, shelter needs, medical assistance, rent/utility payment assistance, and travel passes/bus and gas cards.
Good Food to Grow – Virtua Health Foundation – Marlton, NJ
$5,000.00 Sr. Helen Owens, OSF
Virtua Health is a non-profit health system that is a leading provider in Southern New Jersey and a pioneer in mobile health care platforms. The mobile programs serve those that cannot access or afford medical care or healthy food. The Mission Society grant will fund the Good Food to Grow program. This program hands out bags containing five pounds of healthy food products and ten dollar coupons for fresh produce at specific locations. Along with food, the program will provide a small library of recipe books and cookbooks in both English and Spanish at each center, as well as information about healthy eating.
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