Riedel Foundation awards $20,125 grant to help Douglass Community Services move into new building

HANNIBAL, Mo. — The George H. Riedel Foundation recently awarded a grant of $20,125 to Douglass Community Services to help Douglass offer its services at its new building at 711 Grand in Hannibal.

Douglass Community Services is a nonprofit human services agency that sponsors programs such as Head Start, Court Appointed Special Advocates, Kids In Motion, emergency food pantry, monthly USDA commodity food, senior food boxes, emergency utility assistance, foster grandparents and the Nifty Thrifty clothing store. Additionally, the agency’s personnel are active in advocating and intervening for families and individuals experiencing problems with day-to-day crises.

Through several government and private grants and donations, Douglass constructed the $3.5 million building to house their many services. The thrift store and food pantry will open Dec. 4.

Douglass CEO Stephanie Cooper said they want to make it easy for community members to receive the help they need.

In a press release, Cooper said, “This new facility allows people in need to have a one-stop location, making it easier to access all the range of services we provide. We want to make sure that they can go to one place and receive the things that they need without having to run all over town.”

The Riedel Foundation has partnered with Douglass many times during the last 25 years.

“Douglass does so much good in our community,” Riedel Foundation lead trustee Michael Bukstein said. “Our grants benefit many different organizations, and Douglass addresses basic needs like food, clothing and shelter, which is why it’s important to support them.”

The grant was offered as a match for two recent fundraisers, a golf tournament and a new event called Burgers and Brews. The Riedel Foundation attempts to increase and encourage community support by awarding matching grants that double the value of a person’s donations.