Two DeKalb County nonprofits receive $15,000 in grants

The Sycamore Fire Department and Salem Food Pantry were both selected by employees from the Ashton Soybean Production Monsanto Site and Waterman Monsanto Seed Technology Center to receive a total of $15,000 in grants from the Monsanto Fund’s 2015 site grant initiative. Representatives from these organizations and the fund celebrated the grants with check presentations on June 18th.

The Sycamore Fire Department received a grant of $10,000, and will use the funds to purchase personal response equipment and specialized rescue equipment for the seven members of its technical response team.

“We are very pleased to award this grant to the Sycamore Fire Department,” said Mike Arends, Ashton Monsanto site manager. “Monsanto is a safety-oriented company, so partnering with a local fire department whose main purpose is protecting the community is a great fit with our safety culture.”

The Salem Food Pantry, which is operated from the Salem Lutheran Church, will use its grant of $5,000 to purchase more than 16,000 pounds of food from the Northern Illinois Food Bank.

“This grant means confidence in our sustainability for the coming year,” said Liz Ezell, administrative volunteer with the food pantry. “We are so excited because this makes our ministry of hospitality possible. We can meet the community needs we see every day in a way that puts food on our neighbors’ tables, smiles on their faces and will offer a bit of encouragement in the midst of their challenges.”

This year, the Monsanto Fund awarded $1.2 million to nonprofit organizations through the site grant initiative to help address critical needs in rural communities.

###

About the Monsanto Fund
The Monsanto Fund, the philanthropic arm of the Monsanto Company, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to strengthening the farm communities where farmers and Monsanto Company employees live and work. Visit the Monsanto Fund at www.monsantofund.org.