When the Girl Scout Council of Greater New York approached The Trust in 2024 with a plan to help newly arrived immigrants, the need could not have been more urgent.
Thousands of children and their families, many of whom had made difficult journeys to flee danger and hardship in their home countries, were living in the city’s emergency shelters. Too often, they had limited support to navigate not only a new culture and language, but also the city’s massive public school and transit systems, amid a complex legal landscape.
The Girl Scouts wanted to expand Troop 6000, the first-ever scouting troop for young people living in city shelters, to serve newly arrived, unhoused asylum-seeking families.
“One of the hardest parts of grantmaking is making tough decisions when resources are limited, or earmarked for specific purposes,” said Shawn Morehead, The Trust’s executive vice president and chief program officer. “We created the Community Needs Fund so we could be nimble, responsive, and strategic in addressing new and abiding challenges in our region. It’s helped us fund nonprofits doing everything from mitigating the local effects of climate change to providing mental health care for survivors of domestic violence.”
The Trust’s issue experts responded to the Girl Scouts’ proposal with a grant from our Community Needs Fund to help it adapt Troop 6000’s curriculum to include lessons on cultural acclimation, public transportation, and immigrant rights. The program also offers sessions on immigration law to caregivers and ongoing support as families move to new homes.
“This expansion of Troop 6000 has been a lifeline for many,” said Marissa Stranieri, the Troop’s director of social work services. “Families found safety, stability, and belonging after experiencing loss, hardship, and trauma.”
Because the Community Needs Fund pools one-time or recurring gifts of any size, many donors played a part in this grant. The fund offers a simple way to bring the community together to support effective nonprofits addressing urgent issues. Its flexibility and efficiency—every dollar donated goes into a grant—are just part of its appeal for donors.
“With local needs growing every day, we often hear from New Yorkers who feel overwhelmed by choosing which cause to support, or who want to improve the quality of life across our region—whether they’re contributing $50 or $50,000,” said Michael Nuno, The Trust’s vice president of development. “The Community Needs Fund was built for this. It offers everyone the chance to make a meaningful difference for their neighbors.”
Other recent grants from the Community Needs Fund are helping Second Chance Foods put meals on the table in Westchester County, where one in three households experience food insecurity, and Pal-O-Mine, an equine-assisted therapy program on Long Island, provide job training for young people with disabilities.
“Giving to the Community Needs Fund is an easy decision, because I know my support will make a difference where it’s needed most,” said Judith Rubin, one of the fund’s donors. “As a Trust board member, I get to see up close the thoughtfulness and expertise our grantmaking team pours into addressing local challenges.”
The positive outcomes of the Fund can be felt across the region.
The grant to Second Chance Foods is helping it redirect nutritious surplus food from grocery stores and regional farms to food pantries and community programs in Westchester.
“Our work is all about breaking the cycle of wasted food and food insecurity,” said Executive Director Martha Elder. “When you hear that 40 percent of the food in the United States is wasted, you know there is enough to feed everyone. We just need to be distributing it properly.”
And on Long Island, Pal-O-Mine is using its grant to connect young people with disabilities with promising opportunities. Its paid internships give participants hands-on work experience in a variety of fields. The program also helps build independence through financial literacy and job readiness training.
“When I first came to Pal-O-Mine, I had very little trust. I would barely speak to people I didn’t know, and I wasn’t proud of myself,” a program participant told The Trust. “I am now living independently in my own apartment—a dream that I thought would never come true. Pal-O-Mine is my special family; it is the place I run to, the place I can go when I need support.”
Support your neighbors by giving to our Community Needs Fund today.
