The National Life Group (NLG) Foundation closed out 2022 with a final grant of $20,000 to Just Basics, Inc., the parent organization of the Montpelier Food Pantry.
Just Basics, Inc. brings together and structures programs that work with members of the greater Montpelier area to address their basic needs and confront cycles of injustice, most notably running the Montpelier Food Pantry and summer lunch programs for children.
“With the soaring cost of food, we are serving double the number of Vermonters than at this same time last year,” Just Basics Executive Director Jaime Bedard said. “This grant could not have come at a better time to help us make sure we can stay well stocked with healthy food.”
“I’m thrilled about the donation and the good it will do for the community,” community member Don Carpenter said.
The Foundation offers grants to nonprofit organizations primarily in central and northern Vermont and the Dallas, Texas area where the company has offices with a focus on ending childhood hunger and supporting youth mental health.
“The National Life Group Foundation takes seriously our mission to do what we can to answer the call of food insecurity and the dire need our community is facing around that,” National Life Group Foundation President Beth Rusnock said.
The Foundation is the giving arm of National Life, which also supports the community through numerous programs, which this year included: Do Good Fest in Vermont and in Texas; giving away 1,300 Thanksgiving dinners in central Vermont; hosting a holiday event for homeless families in Texas; “Share the Good,” an employer gift match program for employees; and many other partnerships with community organizations throughout the year.
Applications for grants will be accepted until March 31, 2023. Applications are accepted online here. To be considered for a grant, an organization must be a public charity which is exempt from income taxes under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
Learn more here about National Life Group’s corporate philanthropy with programs that include a commitment to ending childhood hunger, supporting children’s mental health, LifeChanger of the Year award and other social responsibilities.