Inaugural OCCF Celebration Grant Goes To Christian Outreach Free Store

The Church of Christ Christian Outreach Free Store will use the grant funds to move the Free Store into a new building.

Rising Sun Church of Christ Christian Outreach Free Store receives the inaugural OCCF Annual Celebration Grant. Photo provided. 

(Rising Sun, Ind.) - The Ohio County Community Foundation (OCCF) is pleased to announce that the Rising Sun Church of Christ Christian Outreach Free Store has received the inaugural OCCF Annual Celebration Grant in the amount of $10,020. The Christian Outreach Free Store was selected from a pool of seven applicants by the OCCF Board of Directors.

The Annual Celebration Grant program was established to celebrate the Foundation’s 20-year anniversary (1998-2018). It is the hopes of the Foundation that this grant will become an annual event. The OCCF Annual Celebration grant was funded through the Rising Sun Regional Foundation for Ohio County Fund, established in 2015 by the Rising Sun Regional Foundation through a matching grant from the Lilly Endowment to be used for community programs. 

Eligible applicants had to meet the following criteria: be a non-profit whose projects and programs benefit Ohio County; submit a proposal for a project that was outside of the organizations’ normal funding capabilities; attend a brief interview session along with a luncheon at the Education Center of Rising Sun.

The Church of Christ Christian Outreach Free Store will use the grant funds to move the Free Store next door in a building the Rising Sun Church of Christ is no longer using for youth according to Free Store Manager, Scott Lovern. The building being used currently is a renovated barn. The building they will move into is a 30 x 40 ft building, providing them with much more space. Their plan is to have more freezer/refrigeration space to allow for more food distribution. Two freezers already occupy the building, as they cannot fit them into the current location. 

The building will require renovations to make it work as a Free Store. The OCCF Annual Celebration Grant will help with the Free Store renovations. The expansion would not be possible without the grant.

The Free Store provides food, clothing, shoes, furniture, and miscellaneous household items. They are open 2 days a week: Thursdays from 4-6 and Saturdays from 11-1. Anyone living in Ohio County may receive food and other items.

The mission of the Ohio County Community Foundation is to build, manage and distribute a lasting source of charitable funds for Ohio County. For more information concerning the Ohio County Community Foundation and its programs, please contact Peggy Dickson, Executive Director at 812-438-9401.