2015 Healthy Hometown Grant Recipients

Five local nonprofit organizations have received the Mayor’s Healthy Hometown mini grants totaling $29,995.  The grants will help these organizations provide complementary health therapies to low-income residents, empower young men through life skills training and transitional housing, teach youth urban agriculture, and help women in penal institutions gain the skills and resources to regain custody of their children  

“These grass-roots organizations are providing compassionate care and services to improve the health and quality of life of the people they serve,” said Mayor Greg Fischer.

According to interim director of Louisville Metro Public Health and Wellness, Dr. Sarah Moyer, 36 applications were received.  A panel of representatives from the community reviewed the grants and based awards on the organizations’ abilities to impact the city’s Healthy Louisville 2020 focus areas of Healthy Homes and Healthy Neighborhoods, Healthy Mothers and Healthy Babies, Safe and Healthy Neighborhoods, Mental and Behavioral Health, Obesity Prevention, Social Determinants of Health and Substance Abuse Prevention.

Organizations receiving 2015 grants are:

Empty Vessels Healing Ministry, Inc.          $3,950

Will provide free/low-cost alternative and complementary health therapies such as acupuncture, massage therapy, acupressure, cranio-sacral therapy and healing touch for low-income residents through partners across the city.  The goal with these therapies is to see a decrease in pain and discomfort levels and improvements in emotional health.

It Takes A Village Inc.          $5,500

Will support the transition of troubled males between the ages of 13-18 and older adult males into becoming productive members of society through employment, life skills training and education, and providing transitional housing, physical, emotional and spiritual empowerment.

Louisville Grows Inc.            $5,500

Youth employed through SummerWorks will develop new skills and positively engage with their community through the operation of a socially responsible urban farming enterprise. Over the course of a season, the youth will gain a strong foundation of urban agricultural business skills, incorporating their advocacy training into action through community development, youth leadership and by contributing directly to a local food economy in food insecure neighborhoods of West Louisville.

My Chosen People, Inc.        $7,500

The Family Life Program of My Chosen People, Inc. serves women in penal institutions who have lost custody of their children.  The goals are to equip them with positive life and parenting skills, housing opportunities, employment opportunities and necessary resources to obtain and maintain parental custody of their children.  The Family Life Program partners with Dismas Charities, Inc. to connect with women through weekly education workshops and provide necessary resources to obtain and/or maintain parental custody.  Program staff will also provide up to 6 months of one-on-one mentoring to ensure family success and stability upon release from facility.

Sustainable Agriculture of Louisville, Inc.  $7,500          

Will produce, process and distribute a crop of local staple foods, including squash, beans, and local varieties of grain corn (for cornmeal and corn tortillas). The crops will be grown at nearby La Minga cooperative farm, in partnership with other organizations promoting health and local food sovereignty: La Casita Center (an immigrant community center and service provider), Youth Build Louisville, New Roots, and Hispanic/ Latino Ministries. This collaboration will include six gatherings: four Sunday outings to La Minga farm and two community potlucks following the harvest to learn to process the food crops and to distribute the produce. Will also host a summer garden camp for children from low-income households.

Since 2005, the Mayor’s Healthy Hometown Movement has awarded more than a half million dollars in grants to more than 100 community groups. Applications for mini grants will be available again in March 2016.

To learn more about Healthy Louisville 2020, our shared community plan for improving health in Louisville, go to www.healthylouisvillemetro.org.