Village Project receives $50,000 grant

Barb Harrell, executive director of the Village Project, third from left, accepts a grant from Francis Gardner, Joan Mason and Chris Mead from Black River Education & Wellness Foundation.

Village Project is a grateful recipient of a $50,000 grant from The Black River Education and Wellness Foundation. The funds were presented to Executive Director Barb Harrell on July 31 by Francis Gardner, Joan Mason and Chris Mead.

The Black River Education and Wellness Foundation was organized in 1985 and originally chartered to support the operations of Elyria Memorial Hospital. Since 2014, after Elyria Memorial Hospital was acquired by University Hospitals of Cleveland, the Foundation broadened its mission and purpose beyond the support of just the UH Elyria Medical Center in order to maintain a commitment to the communities who have long been served by EMH and to have a meaningful impact upon health issues in those communities.

The grant money will be used to purchase commercial kitchen equipment for Project Pillar – Village Project’s current facility expansion taking place this summer. The additional equipment and space will allow Village Project to double the number of clients served, offer cooking classes to the community and more.

More information about Project Pillar can be found on Village Project’s website: ourvillageproject.com.