Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens is enhancing its heating assistance efforts with a $250,000 grant from the National Grid Foundation amid severe winter conditions.
The donation, presented on Feb. 26 at the Msgr. Joseph Pfeiffer Resource Center in Howard Beach, will help families and older adults stay warm by covering critical heating costs.
“On behalf of our community, I extend my heartfelt gratitude to the foundation for its incredible generosity and unwavering support,” said Monsignor Alfred LoPinto, president and CEO of Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens and affiliates. “Your commitment to assisting those most in need in our boroughs truly embodies the spirit of compassion and charity that uplifts us all. Thank you for making a meaningful difference in the lives of so many.”
The grant will be distributed across five Catholic Charities programs that provide emergency heating assistance. This marks the first year that the National Grid Foundation has partnered with Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens to support its emergency heating funds.
Of the total grant, $100,000 will fund the newly established Catholic Charities “Stay Cozy Fund,” providing emergency financial assistance to families struggling to pay their heating bills. An additional $20,000 will support older adults at Catholic Charities centers who need help covering their National Grid heating costs.
The remaining $130,000 will go toward heating expenses at several Catholic Charities residences and service centers, including the Peter Striano Residence, Monastery Senior Housing, Caring Communities Apartments, and St. Malachy’s Early Childhood Development Center, which serve low-income individuals and families.
National Grid Foundation Board Chair Eileen Cohen credited the funding to the group’s deep roots in the community.
“We have a long history of serving as a community partner, understand the critical need in our communities, and want our customers to know we are here to help,” Cohen said in a statement. “We are so grateful to these amazing organizations who have partnered with us; they help deliver so many much-needed services during these trying economic times.”
The National Grid Foundation began in 1998 and, since then, has granted more than $43 million to local community organizations to help enhance quality of life. This year, the foundation is distributing $3 million this year to six emergency fuel-neutral heating funds across New York City, Long Island, and Massachusetts. The funding includes a one-time $900,000 donation to expand the foundation’s annual heating grants and extend support across the Northeast.
“This year’s emergency heating fund assistance allows the Foundation to expand its support to additional communities and broaden and deepen our local help,” said newly-appointed Foundation Executive Director Robert Simmons. “We are critically concerned about energy affordability and are so pleased that through this funding, we anticipate being able to support more than 7,500 families this year.”
