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Avalon Healing Center

Client Transportation and Hygiene & Clothing Kits for Survivors of Sexual Violence
2025

Overview
The Vera and Joseph Dresner Foundation has awarded Avalon Healing Center a $12,000 grant to support basic needs for survivors of sexual violence.

Details

Transportation and access to essential items, like hygiene products and clothing, often remain barriers for survivors of sexual violence. Avalon Healing Center addresses these basic needs to help ensure that they have the resources necessary to recover and heal.

Learn more about Avalon Healing Center.

Forgotten Harvest

Mobile Pantry Program
2025

Overview
The Vera and Joseph Dresner Foundation has awarded a $250,000 grant to Forgotten Harvest to expand food access for youth and families in southeast Michigan.

Details
Forgotten Harvest provides fresh meat, dairy, fruits, vegetables, and nutritious nonperishable items through the mobile food pantry program. In 2025, Forgotten Harvest will distribute approximately 28 million pounds of food to 80 Mobile Pantry sites in high-need neighborhoods.

Learn more about Forgotten Harvest.

Gary Burnstein Community Health Clinic

Increasing Access to Comprehensive Dental Care for Underserved Communities
2024

Overview
The Vera and Joseph Dresner Foundation has awarded Gary Burnstein Community Health Clinic a $130,853 grant to support access to oral and dental services.

Details
The Gary Burnstein Community Health Clinic will expand dental services in three critical areas, including its oral health and hygiene services and the denture program, as well as purchase dental supplies and equipment. This initiative will improve access to essential dental care for uninsured individuals facing financial barriers, ensuring they receive vital treatment.

Learn more about Gary Burnstein Community Health Clinic.

Colorado Pet Pantry

Temporary Pet Food Assistance
2024

Overview
The Vera and Joseph Dresner Foundation has awarded Colorado Pet Pantry a $12,000 grant to temporarily feed pets in Denver and the Aspen-Parachute Corridor.

Details
Colorado Pet Pantry receives donated pet food from a variety of sources, which is then distributed to community-based organizations and nonprofits and human services agencies. A grant from the Foundation will support the distribution in the city of Denver and the Aspen-Parachute Corridor.

Learn more about Colorado Pet Pantry.

YouthZone

Basic Needs of Justice-Involved Youth
2024

Overview
The Vera and Joseph Dresner Foundation has awarded YouthZone a $5,200 grant to cover essential items such as clothing, hygiene, food, and transportation for youth in the Aspen-Parachute Corridor.

Details
YouthZone proactively keeps youth out of the juvenile justice system and provides comprehensive, highly individualized intervention services. By addressing basic needs, YouthZone removes challenges that can lead to recidivism, empowering youth to focus on positive development, education, and building healthier relationships.

Learn more about YouthZone.

Lighthouse Michigan

Lighthouse Food Programs
2024

Overview
The Vera and Joseph Dresner Foundation has awarded Lighthouse Michigan a $100,000 grant for direct program costs for its food distribution program.

Details

Each year, Lighthouse distributes more than 40,000 boxes of nutritious perishable and non-perishable items to local families and individuals, ensuring that its food programs serve as many people as possible. From Lighthouse’s warehouse in Pontiac, with the help of volunteers, it packs perishable and non-perishable food items for distribution to food pantries in Pontiac, Clarkston, Southfield, and other agencies located throughout Southeast Michigan.

Learn more about Lighthouse Michigan.

Food Gatherers

Healthy School Pantry Program
2024

Overview
The Vera and Joseph Dresner Foundation has awarded Food Gatherers a $25,000 grant to distribute food to children and families in Washtenaw County schools.

Details
Food Gatherers’ Healthy School Pantry Program provides nutritious, free food for children and families in Washtenaw County. Working with schools where a majority of students qualify for free- or reduced-price school meals, Food Gatherers offers fresh produce, dairy, and pantry staples in an easy-to-access format.

Learn more about Food Gatherers.

Clothes to Kids of Denver

Fill Our Racks!
2024

Overview
The Vera and Joseph Dresner Foundation has awarded Clothes to Kids of Denver a $10,000 grant to purchase clothing, shoes, and coats for youth ages 3-21.

Details

Students without suitable clothing struggle both academically and socially. The clothing provided by Clothes to Kids of Denver removes a barrier to school attendance and participation for students, as well as frees up funds that households can devote to basic needs.

Learn more about Clothes to Kids of Denver

The Buddy Program

L.E.A.D. Program Outdoor Leadership for High School and Middle School
2024

Overview
The Vera and Joseph Dresner Foundation has awarded The Buddy Program a $15,000 grant to support middle and high school outdoor leadership programs in the Aspen-Parachute Corridor.

Details
The Buddy Program’s outdoor-based mentorship program provides access to backcountry spaces for teens with limited outdoor experiences, with many teens experiencing camping, hiking, snowshoeing and backpacking for the first time.

Learn more about The Buddy Program.

Racquet Up Detroit

Building Futures: Next Level College and Career Support for Detroit Youth
2024

Overview
The Vera and Joseph Dresner Foundation awarded $200,000 over two years to sustain support of Racquet Up Detroit’s college and career readiness programming.

Details
Racquet Up Detroit ensures that every student who stays engaged through high school graduation and beyond has the resources they need to succeed. Funds will provide college and career programming for existing students and support new, younger program members to begin their multi-year college and career exploration journey.

Learn more about Racquet Up Detroit.

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HIGHLIGHTS
Health
Youth And Family
Animal Welfare
  • Dumb Friends League

    The Vera and Joseph Dresner Foundation has awarded Dumb Friends League a $150,000 grant for direct care costs associated with veterinary care for underserved, low-income families.