2020 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 2020 Grant Summaries – PDF
Facilitating Distance Learning – Alvernia Prep School – Kingston, Jamaica
$5,000.00 Sr. Teresita M. DeSouza, OSF
Many difficulties are presented to education during the Coivd-19 pandemic and the uncertainties that come with it. The Mission Society’s grant for Alvernia Prep will help to provide 8 laptops for teachers, in order for them to provide lessons via distance learning. The goal is to continue with education as much as possible, to ensure that the learning and lessons are not interrupted or postponed during this time.
Fresh Produce for the Hungry – Canticle Farm, Inc. – Allegany, NY
$4,500.00 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.
Accessible Front Door – The Franciscan Center – Tampa, FL
$5,000.00 Sr. Cathy Cahill, OSF
The Franciscan Center, housed in its original structure that was built in 1970, has welcomed thousands of guests yearly over the decades. Due to its age, the Center still has its original main doors, that are heavy and cumbersome, as well as not easily wheelchair accessible. With the funding from the Mission Society, the Franciscan Center will be able to install an automatic front door that will alleviate these issues, as well as bring the building into compliance with Department of Justice ADA Title III regulations.
Assistance to Improve and Grow – Franciscan Sisters of Allegany – Region – Brazil – AFIA – Anápolis, GO
$2,000.00 Sr. Maria Isa Batista, OSF
This project has the purpose of serving and supporting families and individuals of low-income with their basic needs. The targeted group for this project is a segment of families and individuals from neighborhoods that are poor, with limited access to education and employments. Grant funding provided basic food necessities, professional training courses and workshops, as well as helping to develop alternative means of income through the production of handiworks and technical trainings.
Assistance to Improve and Grow – Franciscan Sisters of Allegany – Region – Mozambique – Maganja, Mozambique, Africa
$5,000.00 Sr. Maria Abadia da Silva, OSF
This project has the purpose of serving the community in Maganja by providing an agricultural education. With the funds from the Mission Society, the FSA in Mozambique will be able to educate the community with innovative knowledge, skills, and techniques of agriculture and livestock to the young people and women enrolled in the school. By doing so, they hope to improve the living conditions of said people as well as promote sustainability of the school and families, while also promoting quality education and a greater involvement in work and community.
Security Deposits – Genesis House of Olean, Inc. – Olean, NY
$4,000.00 Mary Kay Tambash
Genesis House is a homeless family shelter located in Olean, New York that offers temporary shelter to those in need. While at the Genesis House, individuals will be open for mentoring, given basic needs and meals, and provided with case management after they leave the House. Grant funding provided by the Mission Society went to covering the cost of security deposits for families that are leaving the program and finding their own apartments.
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) – Immaculate Conception Convent (CAFSA) – Kingston, Jamaica
$5,000.00 Sr. Trinita Solneck, OSF
The Immaculate Conception Convent serves over 2500 people a week. Their current sewage and water system is outdated and antiquated (clay pipes that serve 20 pits and septic tanks) as well as unreliable. There was a stretch of 4 weeks where the Convent had no municipal water supply, and water had to be purchased and delivered by truck. With the grant funding from the Mission Society, contracting and design costs will be covered to help provide an uninterrupted supply of water to sustain the 2500 plus individuals, as well as preventing environmental damage while also reducing the cost of purchasing water.
Interactive Whiteboard for Tech Literacy – 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 two Interactive Whiteboards, with large displays that resemble a large computer screen, in two of the of the common classrooms. 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.
Sustainable Irrigation & Plant Propagation System – 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 create 10 seed tables for propagation and plant sharing, 5 onsite composting areas (which materials from said site can be sent home with participants), and the beginnings of a rain catchment system to teach the surrounding community and its members how to harvest rain for gardening.
Combating COVID-19, Social Assistance to Families Affected – St. Dulce of the Poor Convent – Bom Jesus da Lapa, Bahia, Brazil
$5,000.00 Sr. Cleusa Alves da Silva, OSF
The Franciscan Sisters of Allegany in Bom Jesus da Lapa have put forth an initiative to assist families that have been directly affected by the economic crisis brought on by the coronavirus pandemic. Through a grant from the Mission Society, they were able to purchase basic food and hygiene supplies for families that have lost jobs, received government support, are headed by women, and/or who have children.
Growing and Learning in Wisdom – St. Francis Educational Center – Palmas, TO, Brazil
$5,000.00 Sr. Teresinha de Jesus Santos, OSF
The Saint Francis of Assisi Educational Center of Palmas TO has put together this project to ensure that all children, especially those from families who are poor, can continue and excel in their education by providing equal opportunities for all students. The Mission Society’s grant will cover the cost of teaching materials for about 22 students, ranging from ages 6 to 15, that come from low-income households. The goal is to ensure that all children feel socially included through the acquisition of knowledge and to promote social integration between the school, families, and students by creating an environment of equality.
St. Anne Conference – St. Vincent DePaul Society – 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.
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