Following the 2023 Longest Table, participants were invited to apply for funding of up to $2,000 with the goal of getting ideas off the table and into the community. Of 22 applications, 7 grant recipients were selected to receive funding for their proposed health or wellness related project.
Recipients.
Global Friends Furniture Donations
Award Recipient: Christian Buechler
Project Description: "Global Friends Coalition brings refugees to the Grand Forks community and provides them with the bare essentials to succeed in their new home. My partner and I plan to work with friends in the organization to restore unwanted furniture and donate to these families in order to foster health and wellness for a struggling segment of our community. We plan to acquire unwanted furniture from members of the community, make repairs, and incorporate cultural decorations."
Traditional Medicinal Gardens
Award Recipient: Renee Cardarelle and Jennifer Compeau
Project Description: "This project will engage community members in developing traditional medicinal gardens in at least four locations in Grand Forks, including residential neighborhoods and public spaces. The goal is to provide education regarding native plants used by Indigenous peoples as medicine and to promote wellness. We will bring community members together to plant and maintain these gardens during spring and summer 2024 and to plan and host events to share information, harvest and use plants, and enjoy the gardens."
Grand Forks Good Friends Laundry Love
Award Recipient: Jennifer Doak
Project Description: "GF Laundry Love is a service for the community that will provide means to have clean clothing and bedding. It is for anyone having a tough time balancing trying to get clean clothing/bedding over paying bills or other essential financial obligations.
Our goal is to help as many as we can through events to wash and dry clothes without worrying about the money needed to do so. We will provide laundry detergent and dryer sheets to use as well. Our goal is to help bring some members of the community relief."
Survival Packs
Award Recipient: Kayla Hochstetler, Community Agency Networking Association
Project Description: "[This funding will provide] Survival Packs to people experiencing unsheltered homelessness in our community over the next year. The Survival Packs are backpacks containing emergency supplies such as a sleeping bag, hand warmers, blanket, tarp, food items, bottled water, hand sanitizer, and other necessary items to survive outside in North Dakota. The individuals served are unable to access other services immediately and these Survival Packs offer the life-saving items needed in the moment."
Inclusive Moves Summer Camp
Award Recipient: Dr. Hairui Liu, University of North Dakota
Project Description: "This project addresses the challenge of children with disabilities facing limitations in developing fundamental movement skills, primarily due to physical or mental disabilities and limited access to physical activities. This proposal aims to increase physical activity, improve fundamental skills, and foster social interaction and overall well-being in children with disabilities. To meet the primary aim, a Grand Forks summer camp will be developed and implemented in Summer 2024 for children with disabilities."
Nourishing Neighborhoods in Grand Forks
Award Recipient: McKenna Marek, Grand Forks Public Health
Project Description: "This spring, public health dietitians assessed 13 established food pantries in Grand Forks County. We identified two key areas to improve; allowing pantry guests to select their own foods (choice) and using the Supporting Wellness at Pantries (SWAP) stoplight system to rank food by nutritional composition. Grand Forks Public Health (GFPH) will partner with local food pantries to increase access to healthier foods."
Celebrating the Light in our Community
Award Recipient: Debra Pflughoeft-Hassett, Empire Arts Center
Project Description: "The Empire Arts Center will coordinate with other community organizations and members to develop and hold an activity highlighting celebrations of light that typically occur in the late fall/early winter. The single day event will include informational tables for celebrations such as Diwali, Kwanza, Hanukkah, and Yule. Individuals will be available to talk to attendees about the individual celebrations, and video content, as available, will be shown on large screens in the lobby gallery or in the auditorium. Those providing information and activities will also bring food(s) associated with their celebrations to share with those attending."
Award Recipient: Christian Buechler
Project Description: "Global Friends Coalition brings refugees to the Grand Forks community and provides them with the bare essentials to succeed in their new home. My partner and I plan to work with friends in the organization to restore unwanted furniture and donate to these families in order to foster health and wellness for a struggling segment of our community. We plan to acquire unwanted furniture from members of the community, make repairs, and incorporate cultural decorations."
Traditional Medicinal Gardens
Award Recipient: Renee Cardarelle and Jennifer Compeau
Project Description: "This project will engage community members in developing traditional medicinal gardens in at least four locations in Grand Forks, including residential neighborhoods and public spaces. The goal is to provide education regarding native plants used by Indigenous peoples as medicine and to promote wellness. We will bring community members together to plant and maintain these gardens during spring and summer 2024 and to plan and host events to share information, harvest and use plants, and enjoy the gardens."
Grand Forks Good Friends Laundry Love
Award Recipient: Jennifer Doak
Project Description: "GF Laundry Love is a service for the community that will provide means to have clean clothing and bedding. It is for anyone having a tough time balancing trying to get clean clothing/bedding over paying bills or other essential financial obligations.
Our goal is to help as many as we can through events to wash and dry clothes without worrying about the money needed to do so. We will provide laundry detergent and dryer sheets to use as well. Our goal is to help bring some members of the community relief."
Survival Packs
Award Recipient: Kayla Hochstetler, Community Agency Networking Association
Project Description: "[This funding will provide] Survival Packs to people experiencing unsheltered homelessness in our community over the next year. The Survival Packs are backpacks containing emergency supplies such as a sleeping bag, hand warmers, blanket, tarp, food items, bottled water, hand sanitizer, and other necessary items to survive outside in North Dakota. The individuals served are unable to access other services immediately and these Survival Packs offer the life-saving items needed in the moment."
Inclusive Moves Summer Camp
Award Recipient: Dr. Hairui Liu, University of North Dakota
Project Description: "This project addresses the challenge of children with disabilities facing limitations in developing fundamental movement skills, primarily due to physical or mental disabilities and limited access to physical activities. This proposal aims to increase physical activity, improve fundamental skills, and foster social interaction and overall well-being in children with disabilities. To meet the primary aim, a Grand Forks summer camp will be developed and implemented in Summer 2024 for children with disabilities."
Nourishing Neighborhoods in Grand Forks
Award Recipient: McKenna Marek, Grand Forks Public Health
Project Description: "This spring, public health dietitians assessed 13 established food pantries in Grand Forks County. We identified two key areas to improve; allowing pantry guests to select their own foods (choice) and using the Supporting Wellness at Pantries (SWAP) stoplight system to rank food by nutritional composition. Grand Forks Public Health (GFPH) will partner with local food pantries to increase access to healthier foods."
Celebrating the Light in our Community
Award Recipient: Debra Pflughoeft-Hassett, Empire Arts Center
Project Description: "The Empire Arts Center will coordinate with other community organizations and members to develop and hold an activity highlighting celebrations of light that typically occur in the late fall/early winter. The single day event will include informational tables for celebrations such as Diwali, Kwanza, Hanukkah, and Yule. Individuals will be available to talk to attendees about the individual celebrations, and video content, as available, will be shown on large screens in the lobby gallery or in the auditorium. Those providing information and activities will also bring food(s) associated with their celebrations to share with those attending."