Golden Harvest Food Bank officials presented 20 organizations with $300,000 Food Forever Fund endowment grants April 24.
The endowment aims to enhance capacity and strengthen food security efforts within the community, according to a news release from the food bank.
Established in 2002, the Food Forever Fund endowment operates as an independent 501(c)(3) entity with the sole purpose of supporting Golden Harvest Food Bank and its mission. It does so through the generosity of donor investments, including donations, legacy gifts, and bequests. The endowment originated from a bequest by attorney Oscar Allen, along with other legacy contributions, fueling Food Bank operations for more than two decades.
This initiative, envisioned by Golden Harvest Food Bank’s founder Mike Firmin—who also serves as the Chair of the Board of Directors for the endowment—provides an invaluable platform for legacy giving and offers annual financial distributions to support Golden Harvest Food Bank operations. Firmin’s vision has been to utilize Food Forever Fund gifts to empower partners, offering grant opportunities to catalyze community transformation through service.
“This is a dream come true,” said Firmin, in the release. “When the first bequest to Golden Harvest Food Bank came to us from the estate of Oscar Allen, Esq., I knew that God had provided this money for a “hunger endowment,” for the establishment of a new fund whose proceeds would eventually be distributed to the churches and agencies that drew food from the Food Bank. As more generous people in our area add the Food Forever Fund through donations and bequests in their wills, I pray that these grants to our agencies will continue and grow.”
The endowment board earmarked $300,000 in the form of grants that were awarded to the 20 organizations with grant amounts ranging from $700 to $40,000. The competitive grant process, which began in December 2023, was open to all Golden Harvest Food Bank partners and agencies. The Partner Investment Committee, comprising of Harris Weinstein, Brian Ellefson and Firmin, played a pivotal role in the grant allocation process, ensuring that funds were directed towards initiatives aligned with the Food Forever Fund’s mission and reached some of the most underserved areas in the network.
Golden Harvest Food Bank extends its heartfelt congratulations to all the grant recipients and expresses gratitude to the donors whose generosity made these grants possible.
Recipients of the Food Forever Fund include:
Mt. Olive Church of the Nazarene in Johnson County – $40,000
Clifford Grove Baptist Church in Wilkes County – $40,000
Family Connections CIS-Glascock in Glascock County – $40,000
Hancock Helping Hands in Hancock County – $37,073
Unity Outreach Church in Aiken County – $33,663
Noah’s Ark MBC in Burke County – $31,378
Bridges of Hope in Jefferson County – $28,675
Gateway Church in Barnwell County – $18,000
Broken Shackle Ranch in Washington County – $17,577
BackPack Program at Blythe Elementary School in Richmond County – $15,140
Trinity COG Ministries in Allendale County – $13,860
Putnam Christian Outreach in Putnam County – $6,700
DCCM in Richmond County – $6,204.86
BackPack Program at McBean Elementary School in Richmond County- $6,500
McDuffie Manna in McDuffie County – $2,850
Answers Community Church in Columbia County – $2,600
St Mary’s/St Vincent DePaul Society of Aiken in Aiken County – $2,550
Elbert Co. UMC Food Ministry in Elbert County – $1,154
BackPack Program at Chukker Creek Elementary School in Aiken County – $800
BackPack Program at Screven County Elementary School in Screven County – $731
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