Archives

College Support Fund for Winning Futures College Students
2024

Summary
The Vera and Joseph Dresner Foundation granted $40,000 to Winning Futures to provide financial assistance for students.

Details
Winning Futures provides financial support for students’ essential and basic living expenses, ensuring extenuating financial circumstances do not prevent them from completing postsecondary education. Funds will be used for students’ utilities, tuition, transportation, and other costs.

Learn more about Winning Futures.

Camp Ozanam
2024

Summary
The Vera and Joseph Dresner Foundation has granted The Society of St. Vincent de Paul – Detroit $50,000 to ensure youth in Southeast Michigan are able to access overnight summer camp.

Details
The Society of St. Vincent de Paul – Detroit provides camp experiences for families in need, children in foster care, those who have a parent who is incarcerated, those who have recently lost a parent, and those who could not afford a camp experience otherwise. Children at Camp Ozanam have all their needs provided for at no cost.

Learn more about The Society of St. Vincent de Paul – Detroit.

Hotel Sheltering of Men
2024

Summary
The Vera and Joseph Dresner Foundation granted $65,000 to MCREST to provide housing assistance for men while they work towards securing permanent housing.

Details
MCREST will provide accommodations for men who need housing assistance during weeks when rotating church shelters are unavailable. MCREST staff will also offer case management services to help residents transition to stable housing.

Learn more about MCREST.

Detroit Food Academy Afterschool Leadership, Culinary Skills, Nutrition, & Holistic Wellness Program
2024

Summary
The Vera and Joseph Dresner Foundation granted $50,000 to the Detroit Food & Entrepreneurship Academy to provide afterschool programming in the culinary arts for Detroit students.

Details
Detroit Food & Entrepreneurship Academy (DFA) teaches youth how healthy eating contributes to long-term, positive health outcomes. DFA additionally introduces them to nutrition, leadership skills, budgeting, and foundational culinary skills.

Learn more about the Detroit Food & Entrepreneurship Academy.

Summer of Success
2024

Summary
The Vera and Joseph Dresner Foundation granted $6,000 to the Center for Success Network to provide youth with academic enrichment sessions and literacy instruction.

Details
The Summer of Success is an out-of-school program that combines literacy instruction, enrichment activities, and academic and mentoring sessions, while also providing nutritious meals, snacks, and transportation.

Learn more about the Center for Success Network.

Senior Outreach Program
2024

Summary
The Vera and Joseph Dresner Foundation granted $35,000 to Catholic Charities of Southeast Michigan to provide groceries, personal care items, and cleaning supplies to seniors.

Details
The Senior Outreach Program enables vulnerable seniors to age with dignity in their own homes by providing access to healthy food, with more than 850 deliveries of groceries and hygiene items provided monthly. Additionally, case managers provide referrals to programs within the organization and other community resources.

Learn more about Catholic Charities of Southeast Michigan.

Road Trip for Success
2024

Summary
The Vera and Joseph Dresner Foundation awarded Midnight Golf Program $75,000 to support the annual Road Trip for Success.

Details
Approximately 300 students will tour nine college and university campuses, engage in cultural experiences, and play golf during a weeklong, multi-state trip. The tour allows students to see first-hand the possibilities for their future and practice the life skills they’ve learned throughout the program year.

Learn more about Midnight Golf Program.

Mobile Pantry Program
2024

Overview
The Vera and Joseph Dresner Foundation has awarded a $240,000 grant to Forgotten Harvest to increase access to food for youth and families in southeast Michigan.

Details
Inflation has increased food insecurity for those in southeast Michigan, resulting in a greater number of people seeking food at Forgotten Harvest’s mobile pantry sites. In 2024, Forgotten Harvest will distribute approximately 25 million pounds of food to 80 Mobile Pantry sites in high-need neighborhoods.

Learn more about Forgotten Harvest.