Morris County Not-For-Profits Receive Grants To Support Mission

PARSIPPANY, NJ — Community Hope, a Parsippany not-for-profit organization that helps local residents overcome mental illness, addiction, and homelessness, is the recipient of a $3,500 grant that was part of a larger donation from the Affinity Foundation.

The Affinity Foundation donated a total of $22,500 to 15 not-for-profit groups to help support community efforts and initiatives, the New Jersey-based federal credit union recently announced.

"We are proud to partner with these 15 exceptional organizations that are providing critical services to the communities they serve," Karla Wallack, executive director of the Foundation, said in a news release.

The Affinity Foundation announced that the $3,500 donation to Community Hope will go toward supporting the organization’s mission of supporting those who need it by providing housing and other support services.

Community Hope was founded in 1985 to support families of young adults whose lives were impacted by severe depression and other debilitating mental illnesses, the organization says on its's website. The organization's residential programs and support services were expanded in 2001 to reach homeless veterans struggling with mental health issues and combat-induced trauma.

The Affinity Foundation sees the work of Community Hope as a crucial service for local Morris County residents who are not able to afford mental health bills or a place to live, foundation officials said in a news release.

Literacy Volunteers of Morris County, which is based in Morristown, was also awarded a $1,000 Affinity grant to benefit their work in helping immigrants improve their ability to read, write and speak in English to enhance their experiences in America.

The organization provides services to more than 40 communities in Morris County and provides English as a second language tutoring as well as assistance with writing, math and reading skills, high school equivalency preparation, as well as citizenship preparation classes.