By Daily Press staff
Three local organizations will receive $15,000 to help those who are needy or are living on the street.
Santa Monica-based, social service organizations Chrysalis, Step Up on Second and the Westside Food Bank will receive the money from the Bayside District Corporation’s Dolphin Change Program. The three $5,000 grants will be awarded at the Seventh Annual Westside Shelter and Hunger Coalition Breakfast scheduled Friday, Sept. 27, at 7:30 a.m., at the Fairmont Miramar Hotel in Santa Monica.
“This year’s grants mark a significant milestone for the Dolphin Change Program,” said Kathleen Rawson, executive director for the Bayside District. “Since inception, more than $100,000 has been collected and distributed from the dolphin banks to support local social service agencies.”
The Dolphin Change Program was established in 1993 to offer Santa Monica residents and visitors another way to give people money instead of directly giving to panhandlers and homeless. Two dolphin banks are located on the Third Street Promenade; one on the Santa Monica Pier; and another is located at Main Street and Ashland Avenue.
This is the second year that monies will be awarded on behalf of Marianne Dorn. The Marianne Dorn Trust made a significant contribution to the Dolphin Change Program and Bayside District Corporation in 1998.
This year’s Marianne Dorn Memorial Dolphin Change Grant will be awarded to Step Up on Second. Step Up offers case management and advocacy services tailored to adults diagnosed with severe and persistent mental illness, as well as those dually diagnosed with substance dependence. The grant will be used for laundry and shower maintenance, food expenses and employment of clients in the food program.
The Dolphin Change Program grant to Chrysalis will be used toward salaries of the program coordinator and retention manager working in employment services. Chrysalis is a nationally recognized nonprofit organization dedicated to assisting economically disadvantaged and homeless persons in becoming self-sufficient through employment.
Founded in 1981, the Westside Food Bank has a mission to feed hungry people. The Food Bank distributes nearly three million pounds of food annually to more than 60 social service agencies on the westside of Los Angeles County. The Food Bank’s grant will be used towards the purchase of 25,000 pounds of emergency and supplemental food for agencies in Santa Monica.
The Bayside District Corporation is a nonprofit entity created in 1989 by the Santa Monica City Council to manage the daily operations of downtown Santa Monica and Third Street Promenade.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on September 26, 2002. Read the original PDF.