First Presbyterian Church receives grant for Iowa WINs

First Presbyterian Church of Mt. Pleasant received a $2,000 grant for Iowa Welcomes Immigrant Neighbors (Iowa WINs) and the Sustainable Ministries Nutrimos, We Nourish project. The grant is provided through Farm Credit Services of America's (FCSAmerica) Working Here Fund.

First Presbyterian Church provides support to immigrant members of the Mt. Pleasant community through assistance with food, housing and legal expenses. The Working Here Fund grant will be used to work in conjunction with other organizations to establish a food rescue program, collecting excess locally-grown produce and distributing it to families in need. Families would also have access to garden plots, educational materials, tools and seeds to grow their own food, increasing their self-sufficiency.

'With our food rescue project, we would like to collaborate with local farmers markets, food producers and community members to help create a system where excess foods are easily donated to local food banks, organizing volunteers to help transport food, provide access to fresh foods for immigrant community members suffering due to lack of ability to work and reducing overall food waste in our community,” said Annalisa Miller, Iowa WINs Sustainable Ministries Nutrimos co-chair.

Many of these families have a farming background but without the tools or access to land they are unable to grow food. With the tools provided through Iowa WINs, families can work on self-sufficiency by growing their own food.

'As a cooperative owned by farmers and ranchers, we value the opportunity to help ensure our communities have access to quality, nutritious food,” said Jillian Yule, vice president of retail operations at FCSAmerica's Mt. Pleasant office.

First Presbyterian Church of Mount Pleasant is one of 81 organizations to receive a Working Here Fund grant in the first quarter of 2019. FCSAmerica awarded $136,760 during the latest grant cycle ending March 31, 2019.

About First Presbyterian Church of Mt. Pleasant

First Presbyterian Church of Mt. Pleasant offers Iowa WINs to identify the issues that newcomers face to Southeast Iowa. They provide solutions and help integrate them with the community at large and to build and maintain the infrastructures and sustainable programs that improve opportunity and services now and for future generations of immigrants. They provide support with living expenses to immigrants at risk while they seek work permits and legal counsel.

About Farm Credit Services of America Farm Credit Services of America is a customer-owned financial cooperative proud to finance the growth of rural America, including the special needs of young and beginning producers. With more than $29.8 billion in assets and $5.5 billion in members' equity, FCSAmerica is one of the region's leading providers of credit and insurance services to farmers, ranchers, agribusiness and rural residents in Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota and Wyoming.