Community Safety Net Fund at The Community Foundation awards Second Harvest with $110,400 grant to purchase refrigerated box truck

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - This week, the Community Safety Net Fund at The Community Foundation awarded more than $1 million in grants to 13 area organizations that provide basic services to people in need.

Included in the groups receiving funds was Second Harvest North Florida, which benefited from $110,400 to increase food distribution by purchasing a new refrigerated box truck.

This marks the third year that the community's leading philanthropic organizations — the Jessie Ball duPont Fund, the Lucy Gooding Charitable Foundation Trust and The Community Foundation — joined with individual donors to support nonprofits that provide shelter, food and emergency services to individuals and families impacted by the ongoing recession, according to a news release.

In previous years, more than 30 individuals, corporations and philanthropic organizations, along with the city of Jacksonville, contributed more than $2.75 million to support this effort.

"While we are distressed that so many of our fellow citizens continue to struggle to make ends meet, we are gratified by the generosity of Jacksonville's donors," Nina Waters, president of The Community Foundation, said in the release.

Earlier this year, the Jessie Ball duPont Fund committed $600,000 to re-open the Community Safety Net Fund at The Community Foundation. The Lucy Gooding Charitable Foundation Trust committed $500,000 and The Community Foundation solicited additional gifts from other donors.

Complete story in the Florida Times-Union:
http://jacksonville.com/opinion/blog/400721/beth-cravey/2011-12-19/thirt...