NEW ORLEANS – The Walmart Foundation awarded a $50,000 grant to the New Orleans Women & Children’s Shelter. This grant was made possible through the foundation’s State Giving Program, which focuses on community engagement.
“Critical to our success is receiving community support, so we are truly honored to be a Walmart Foundation State Giving Program recipient,” said Dawn Bradley-Fletcher, executive director of the New Orleans Women & Children’s Shelter. “The grant allowed us to help 196 homeless individuals in 2016 and it will impact another estimated 200 in 2017. We want to thank the Walmart Foundation for recognizing our work of caring for homeless families in New Orleans. The Foundation’s support of our programs underscores its tremendous dedication to issues that affect our local community.”
The Walmart Foundation has a State Advisory Council in each state, made up of Walmart associates representing local communities. Each council helps identify local needs within its state, reviews all eligible grant applications and makes funding recommendations to the Walmart Foundation. Councils base recommendations on alignment with foundation focus areas, state or community needs and program eligibility criteria. The grants are then given to organizations seeking funding for programs that focus on the unmet needs of underserved low-income populations.
According to Bradley-Fletcher, “The program results achieved in the first six months of grant implementation have exceeded our goals. Such outcomes illustrate the value and importance of Walmart Foundation’s support to address an ongoing need in the Greater New Orleans community.”
The New Orleans Women & Children’s Shelter is the largest shelter for homeless women and children in New Orleans, with a mission to transition homeless families to sustainable and independent living, Shelter reps said. Since its inception in 2007, the Shelter has helped more than 1,200 homeless women and children transition from living on the street to safe, affordable housing. An average of 88 percent of the families served by the New Orleans Women & Children’s Shelter transition to independence and stability. The shelter continues to stay filled to capacity and at any given time, two-thirds of the residents are children. Recognizing the needs of every child, the shelter has implemented a comprehensive children’s case management program and after-school education and enrichment program, shelter reps said.