Non-Profit

By: Jackson Eflin, Second Harvest Food Bank— Muncie, IN—The sky makes overtures of rain and a line of cars wraps around Heritage Apostolic Tabernacle’s parking lot, out onto Wabash Street and down the road.  Chandra Parks, of Muncie Southside Neighborhood Association, and other volunteers are packing bags of carrots, potatoes, canned beef, cheese, orange juice, and cleaning supplies into bags. They’re staying just ahead of Chandra, who along with her mother are checking in with the families as they load the bags into the backs of cars. This pop-up pantry will serve 180 families this week, just as they have…

By: Kallie Sulanke— Muncie, IN—The Community Foundation of Muncie and Delaware County, Inc. awarded $11,000 to six non-profit organizations to support emergency response efforts to the COVID-19 crisis.  Community Foundation staff continue to connect with and listen to the plans, challenges, and needs of a variety of vital community organizations across Delaware County. Decisions for this fourth round of response funding were made to come along side these vital community organizations with identified immediate needs related to the Coronavirus Pandemic. This is the fourth round of emergency response support totaling $58,000 since March 23.  Emergency Response Grants in the amounts…

By: Muncie Non-Profit Organizations— Muncie, IN—On Friday, May 1, 2020, Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb announced the first step of easing economic and health restrictions on businesses and individuals that were limited due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Like many of you, the agencies in this article are eager to return to a normal state of operations and are relieved that the plan is a step-by-step process that will only move forward if we move cautiously. Over the past several weeks, Delaware County non-profits, funders, and banks have gathered virtually to discuss what we have seen on the frontlines and to collaborate…

By: Teresa Clemmons— Muncie, IN—Teresa Clemmons, Executive Director of A Better Way Services, Inc., is pleased to announce that Tiffany Kerrigan will be joining the agency as their new Director of Development. “I believe Tiffany is a great fit for the organization, and will bring our fund development to a new level of success.”—Teresa Clemmons Tiffany’s past nine years have been spent at Little Red Door Cancer Agency, Indianapolis, IN, where she was Vice President and Regional Director, East Central Indiana Region. She had various areas of responsibility, including donor cultivation, stewardship, and public relation efforts. As a Master of…

By: Sarah Shaffer— Muncie, IN—Cornerstone Center for the Arts is excited to announce Exclusively Online Classes for the 2020 Summer Session. In these trying times the arts are even more important. Creativity is vital to personal and societal health. While social distancing we can still come together as a community. A selection of our most popular Arts Education programming will be available exclusively online beginning the week of June 1 and ending July 23. Classes will be held virtually on a weekly basis via an interactive streaming service. No in-person classes will be taught at this time. Registration is available…

By: Bryan Ayars, CEO, Open Door Health Services— Muncie, IN—We’ve heard it said many times during crises, and we’ve heard it during the COVID-19 pandemic: Look for the helpers. Our community has rallied to support our vulnerable populations over the last several weeks—and the truth is, we’re all vulnerable in one way or another during COVID. In the past month, thirty percent of us have postponed healthcare, and more than 30 million Americans have applied for unemployment benefits after losing a job. The next couple paragraphs touch on some of the pains our friends and family are experiencing during COVID-19, particularly in the…

By: Joanna Robertson— Muncie, IN—With schools closed nationwide due to COVID-19 stay-at-home-orders, supporting students and their families with the basic tools for learning has become critical. The Back To School Teachers Store, a non-profit providing free essential learning tools and supplies to teachers, students and families in Delaware County, has provided 5,000 students with remote learning supplies since mid-March. “Pencils, pencil sharpeners, erasers and books are the top requested items from teachers year after year,” said Stacy Wheeler, executive director of the Back To School Teachers Store. “These essential school supply items support both cognitive and fine motor skills for…

By: Michelle Kinsey— Muncie, IN—The Muncie Arts and Culture Council (MACC) board is pleased to announce the appointment of its new executive director, Erin Williams. Williams, who has worked at the MACC for two years as the PlaySpace Residency Coordinator, replaces Braydee Euliss, who left MACC at the beginning of 2020. “As the first person to manage [PlySpace], Erin was instrumental in shaping it and connecting the visiting artists to the Muncie community,” said Betty Brewer, MACC board immediate past president. “Erin’s experience as an arts administrator, educator and an artist made her a natural choice to step up into…

By: Eileen Oaks— Muncie, IN— The Greater Muncie Habitat for Humanity is actively seeking qualified partner families who are interested in working with Habitat for Humanity to purchase a home. Qualified homebuyers help build their houses by putting in sweat equity hours, and then, purchase their house with a no-profit, no-interest mortgage. You may qualify if your current housing is inadequate or too expensive, or if you are unable to obtain a conventional mortgage. All partner participants must have the ability to pay the Habitat mortgage, which includes proof of steady income within the guidelines below. If you are willing to partner with Habitat, you must fulfill all partnership requirements for Habitat homeownership, such as: Completing sweat…