RALEIGH – The Wake County Women’s Giving Network today awarded $140,000 to five area nonprofits that support women and/or children, according to Liza Roberts, chair of the local giving circle, which is a program of the North Carolina Community Foundation (NCCF).

Receiving grants were the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle, Communities In Schools of Wake County, the Carying Place, the Child’s Advocate and the Green Chair Project. The awards were announced today at the Network’s annual luncheon.

Inter-Faith Food Shuttle received $55,000 for the Lunch Wagon program, which will deliver hot meals via a kitchen on wheels to the homeless and neighborhoods in need, with a focus on children. For more information, visit www.foodshuttle.org.

Communities In Schools of Wake County was awarded $25,000 for Making the CASE, a program geared toward economically disadvantaged students that utilizes an individualized approach to help foster success in school. Visit www.ciswake.org for more details.

Also receiving $25,000 was the Carying Place, which will use its grant for the Working Homeless Mothers and Children Project that will help families to become self-sufficient through a series of life-skills classes and individualized mentoring support. For more information visit www.thecaryingplace.org.

The Child’s Advocate received a $25,000 grant that will provide operating resources for this nonprofit that supports children who need legal representation, often in high-conflict or domestic violence situations. For additional information, visit www.thechildsadvocate.org.

The Green Chair Project received $10,000 to further its mission to help individuals and families transition into stable housing after being displaced from disasters, joblessness or homelessness. The nonprofit is the only furniture recycling and assistance program in Wake County. For more information, go to www.thegreenchair.org.

Wake County Women’s Network members voted on recipients in a competitive grants process. Grants Chair Pam Dowdy said the membership had a difficult decision selecting from all of the high-quality programs serving critical needs for Wake County women and/or children.

This year’s gifts from the Wake County Women’s Giving Network bring the total of grants awarded to area nonprofits to $564,000 in just five years. “To award $140,000 in this challenging economy to programs serving such critical needs is certainly a sign of the Network’s increasing impact on philanthropy in Wake County,” said Jennifer Tolle Whiteside, president and CEO of the NCCF. “And what a milestone to exceed half a million dollars in just five years.” The NCCF supports eight other women’s giving programs across the state and the Statewide Women’s Fund.

About the Wake County Women’s Giving Network

The Network is designed to maximize women’s leadership in philanthropy by engaging and educating its membership, increasing charitable contributions and strengthening the Wake County community through the impact of collective giving. Past grants recipients include 2007: Learning Together and the Women’s Center of Wake County; 2008: InterAct and SAFEchild; 2009: Hospice of Wake County, Lucy Daniels Center for Early Childhood, Urban Ministries of Wake County and Wake Technical Community College Foundation; and 2010: Urban Ministries, Read and Feed and SAFEchild.

For information about joining the Wake County Women’s Giving Network or applying for a 2012 grant, contact Jeanne Lawson at 256-6914 or jlawson@nccommunityfoundation.org.

About the North Carolina Community Foundation

The NCCF is the single statewide community foundation serving North Carolina and has made nearly $63 million in grants since its inception in 1988. With more than $145 million in assets, the NCCF sustains over 1,000 endowments established to provide long-term support of a broad range of community needs, nonprofit organizations, institutions and scholarships. The NCCF partners with 60 affiliate foundations to provide local resource allocation and community assistance in 66 counties across the state. For more information about NCCF, visit www.nccommunityfoundation.org and Facebook.

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News media contacts:

Jeanne Lawson, NCCF Regional Associate

jlawson@nccommunityfoundation.org

919-256-6914

Noel McLaughlin, NCCF Director of Marketing and Communications

nmclaughlin@nccommunityfoundation.org

919-256-6901