CAMBRIDGE, Ohio — Sixteen organizations and community projects across Cambridge and Guernsey County will receive a combined $86,632 in grant funding through the John W. and Edna McManus Shepard Fund.
The grants will support a wide range of initiatives, including community development, arts and culture, food assistance, housing, education and economic development.
The largest grant, totaling $10,000, was awarded to the Samaritan Center of Guernsey County to help provide transitional housing and case management services for individuals and families experiencing homelessness.
Guernsey County Feed My People received $8,345 to continue operating its free community kitchen, while the Cambridge Area YMCA was awarded $7,500 to provide income-based membership scholarships for underserved families and individuals.
Several organizations each received $5,000 grants, including:
- The Cambridge Band, Inc. for equipment maintenance, music library expansion, community outreach and uniform preservation.
- Cambridge Presbyterian Church for its Backpack 500 program, which provides weekend meals to students.
- The Cambridge-Guernsey County Community Improvement Corporation to promote the Guernsey Impact Initiative through marketing and website improvements.
- Dickens Victorian Village of Cambridge for its historical trolley tours.
- Salt Fork Arts & Crafts Festival to support festival operations, artisan demonstrations and performing arts.
- Ohio Hills Folk Festival to continue restoration of The Country Store Museum.
- Lutheran Social Services of Central Ohio to support food pantry services in Guernsey County.
- United Way of Guernsey and Noble Counties to help cover shipping costs for the Dolly Parton Imagination Library.
Additional grants include:
- Cambridge Main Street Initiative — $5,500 for website, ticketing and event planning upgrades.
- Guernsey County Community Development Corporation — $4,455 for new interpretive signs along the Great Guernsey Trail.
- United Way of Guernsey and Noble Counties — $4,332 in unrestricted funding.
- Grace Pantry — $4,000 to install a vinyl wrap on its delivery truck.
- National Cambridge Collectors — $2,500 for educational activity booklets for students.
The John W. and Edna McManus Shepard Fund was established in 1998 by Arthur E. Shepard in memory of his parents, longtime Cambridge residents John W. Shepard and Edna McManus Shepard. Since its creation, the fund has awarded more than $720,000 to projects benefiting Cambridge and Guernsey County.
Grant recommendations are made with assistance from an advisory committee that includes representatives from the Guernsey County Foundation and community member John A. Davis. The grants are administered through Community Foundations, Inc., a charitable organization that supports nonprofit organizations throughout Ohio and beyond.
