Impact Fairfield County Presents Grant Awards to Local Nonprofits

NORWALK, CT and STAMFORD, CT, June 19, 2024 – Impact Fairfield County (“Impact FFC”), one of the largest women’s organizations in the county, recently presented $100,000 checks to their 2024 Grant Winners, Filling in the Blanks (“FITB”) in Norwalk and the Boys & Girls Club of Stamford (“BGCS”) in Stamford.

In Norwalk, Co-Founders & Presidents of FITB, Shawnee Knight and Tina Kramer accepted the check presented by Impact FFC Co-Presidents, Jenny San Jose and Kristen Rosenbaum. CT Senator Bob Duff, CT Representative Tracey Mara and representatives from Congressman Jim Himes and Senator Richard Blumenthal’s offices also spoke. With this grant, FITB will expand its “Fresh Food on the Move” mobile food pantry program by adding seven new events, providing over 175,000 pounds of fresh food to community members and bringing local agencies and services onsite to make them easier for families to access.

“As I’ve said many times, food insecurity is a solvable problem. There is no reason for it, but we have it and thanks to Filling in the Blanks, we’re making such a difference for so many families. I’ve seen it first hand - in Norwalk, at the Mobile Food Pantries - where FITB is making sure that our kids and families across Fairfield County do not go hungry. I’m thrilled that Impact Fairfield County's grant is going to such a worthy organization, and having this large group of women from Impact FFC come together to support the biggest needs in our community is truly incredible,” said CT Senator Bob Duff, Senate Majority Leader.

In Stamford, BGCS CEO Craig Baker accepted the grant check on behalf of BGCS, along with team members and BGCS after-school youth participants. The 2023 and 2024 Youth of the Years also spoke about the difference that BGCS has made in their lives. With the Impact FFC grant, BGCS will integrate youth mental health support into their after-school services. This initiative will benefit all 3,000 youth that BGCS serves and will provide counseling to 300 children and teens per year, most of whom have experienced trauma or have been exposed to chronic stress or violence.

“The Boys & Girls Club of Stamford plays an integral role in the Stamford community,” said Mayor Caroline Simmons. “I am thrilled to see their efforts recognized by Impact Fairfield County, which will allow them to further serve our city’s youth by incorporating mental health support into their growing programs.”

Congressman Jim Himes remarked, “The outstanding teams at Filling in the Blanks (FITB) and the Boys & Girls Club of Stamford (BGCS) are making Connecticut proud with their efforts to alleviate food insecurity and enhance support for youth mental health initiatives, respectively, across our community. I’m delighted that Impact Fairfield County chose to support these local organizations with generous $100,000 grants, empowering FITB to provide nutritious meals to even more families in need of assistance and BGCS to offer clinical counseling and social-emotional support to more underserved children and teens.”

Impact FFC celebrated its ninth year of giving, providing over $2.1 million in funding to local nonprofits since its start. “All of this year’s grant applicants were quite remarkable, and we are proud to support the extraordinary efforts of FITB and BGCS as they continue to make such an impact in Fairfield County,” said Impact FFC Co-President Kristen Rosenbaum.

About Impact FFC: Impact FFC is a collective giving organization whose mission is to encourage women to engage in local philanthropy through deeper knowledge and active participation in grantmaking. It unites women by pooling membership funds to provide large, transformational grants to nonprofit organizations across Fairfield County.

For more information or to join Impact FFC, please contact membership@impactffc.org.

For press inquiries, please contact PR@impactffc.org.