TOLEDO, Ohio — The John Henry Eldred Jr. Foundation was created to help the community in various ways. One of the biggest, some could argue, is through granting financial assistance to organizations already doing work within the community.
A lifelong Toledoan walking by one of the 62 foundation recipients, The Islamic Food Bank, said he was happy to hear of the donation. Kenneth Parker Jr. said this is a good way to keep people's spirits up.
"That's how it's supposed to be," Parker said. "You'll see prosperity and growth and then the next thing you know, someone that was at a lower stature will be someone higher here."
He said foundations like John Henry Eldred Jr. are setting a great example of what larger entities with funds should do, while also helping the local community grow.
Islamic Food Bank Interim President and Chair Dr. M. Razi Rafeeq said this $25,000 grant means so much to more than just the nonprofit.
"In 2023, we distributed over $1.8 million value food alone," Rafeeq said. "This is going to be very helpful for us to actually expand our warehouse and operations team."
The John Henry Eldred Jr. Foundation's Executive Director Mike Deetsch said the goal of giving out $1.3 million was to assist organizations focused on youth education, housing stability and food security in any way the organization could.
"We're really interested in being at the table, not assuming that we have the answers. We just want to be a part of the conversation and where we feel like we can contribute we want to do that," Deetsch said.
He said this more than $1 million donation was not the first financial contribution they've given, nor was this Northwest Ohio grant a one-time event, Deetsch did note, even though the foundation is only about two years old.
The foundation's board said the goal is to help northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan thrive, no matter the timetable.
Rafeeq said he welcomes The John Henry Eldred Jr. Foundation, and those like it, to continue efforts towards helping. The main reason is that the need from the community for help is out there.
"Fighting food insecurity is not a do-it-alone job," Rafeeq said. "It takes the entire community and I think we are truly blessed in Toledo and northwest Ohio to have a community who steps up."
To learn more about The John Henry Eldred Jr. Foundation in terms of grant money or how they help nonprofits, click here.