LOS ANGELES (CNS) — The Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles will give $1 million in grants to five local nonprofits working to alleviate poverty in older adults, the foundation announced Wednesday.
The recipients are: Los Angeles LGBT Center, Mexican American Opportunity Foundation, ONEgeneration, Partners in Care and St. Vincent Meals on Wheels.
“It is the responsibility of us all to protect vulnerable seniors,” said Marvin I. Schotland, foundation president and CEO, in a statement. “But specific to The Foundation, Jewish tradition instructs us to respect and safeguard our elders, and I’m proud that our grants this year are addressing this pressing issue and providing the critical resources seniors need to remain healthy and housed, and age with dignity.”
The $1 million matches the record amount the foundation awarded in grants last year.
Schotland added that nearly a third of senior Los Angeles residents live at or below the poverty line, according to data from the UC Berkeley Labor Center. That figure could get worse, with California’s senior population expected to double in 20 years.
The Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles has awarded approximately $4.5 million over the past decade in general community grants.
With the funding, the Mexican American Opportunity Foundation will be able to serve an additional 1,200 under-resourced seniors, according to Ciriaco Pinedo, MAOF’s president and CEO.
“The Foundation and MAOF share the belief that our seniors should have access to all the resources they need to live and age in place with dignity,” Pinedo said in a statement. “The support from The Foundation will empower our seniors, and help them believe us when we say someone cares and values them.”