A commercial kitchen and feeding program have been in the works for several months at Project Life, but a donation from Piedmont Augusta will bring that dream closer to its reality.
“This came at the impeccable perfect time,” said Amy Maxwell, executive director of the organization on Gordon Highway, after a ceremony Thursday at the hospital, where nearly $2 million in grants to area non-profits were announced.
Maxwell said their initiative can go “pedal to the metal” now to get it operational as soon as possible.
Read more: Project Life celebrates five years at Gordon Highway location
According to the agreement between Piedmont and the former University Health Care System, Piedmont pledged to provide $2 million a year for 10 years to community nonprofit groups who address direct health needs as stated in the Community Health Needs Assessment and Implementation Strategy for Piedmont’s Augusta Hub, according to Hugh L. Hamilton, chair of the Piedmont Augusta Board.
“In many ways, University Health Care System was ahead of its time, investing in prevention, population health and access to care through the initial start-up and continual support of community-based clinics, several of which are with us today,” Hamilton said. “Since joining Piedmont, our thinking has evolved and broadened to include a focus on our role in addressing social drivers of health, such as homelessness, education, unemployment and food insecurity. We have also become keenly aware of the health disparities throughout our community, and how we can help ensure people have equal access to high-quality care by partnering with organizations uniquely qualified to impact those needs in a measurable way.”
Area non-profits who addressed these specific social drivers were among those invited to apply for the grants, and according to Dr. Lily Henson, CEO of Piedmont’s Augusta Hub, it was a challenging decision for committee members in choosing grant recipients because they wanted the agencies to be the ones which impact the community at the highest level.
Nomi Stanton, who heads GAP Ministries, which serves much of the area’s homeless population, said her organization’s grant will go toward its prescription assistance program.
Read More: GAP Ministries celebrates 45 years
“We cover over-the-counter medicines, do wound care. We have colostomy bags, syringes,” she said as well as helping people with their prescribed medications such as insulin.
GAP’s needs are based on their client’s needs, and sometimes they get uncommon requests such as a client who needed a trach cleaning tube a few months back.
Other recipients included 143 Ministries, Apparo Academy, Augusta Dream Center, Augusta Locally Grown, The Augusta Training Shop Beulah Grove Community Resource Center/Lamar Medical Center, Boys and Girls Club of Greater Augusta, Cancer Support Services, Child Enrichment, Christ Community Health Services, Columbia County Health, Wellness & Fitness Expo, Compass for Hope, Druid Park Community Health Center, Family Promise of Augusta, Harrisburg Family Health Care, Helping Hands, Heritage Academy, Hope House, I Am My Brother’s Keeper, McDuffie Manna, Neighborhood Improvement Project/Medical Associates Plus, New Bethlehem Community Center, Project Refresh, ReStart Augusta, RISE Augusta, SafeHomes, Turn Back the Block, Tuttle-Newton Home, Via Cognitive Health and Westabou Montessori School.
Charmain Z. Brackett, the publisher of Augusta Good News and Inspiring: Women of Augusta, has covered Augusta’s news for 35 years. Reach her at charmain@augustagoodnews.com. Sign up for the newsletter here.
