By EMMALEE ITALIA
Contributing Editor
A total of $10,000 in grants from the 2024 Bishop George W. Ahr Endowment Fund was awarded to seven organizations that serve the needs of people in the Diocese of Trenton. Awards were announced by Msgr. Thomas N. Gervasio, diocesan vicar general and moderator of the curia.
Named in memory of the seventh bishop of the Diocese, the fund accumulates $10,000 in total interest annually, which is then presented via grants to agencies and parishes for special projects. The grant is open for application by any entity, apostolate, individual, special ministry or organization that attempts to provide services for the vulnerable and/or poor population within their community.
From the pool of applicants, the Bishop George W. Ahr Endowment Fund Committee selected seven recipients this year. Each applicant provided a detailed plan for the proposed grant with its application.
Recipients include:
Mount Carmel Guild, Trenton ($300)
Funds for Thanksgiving turkeys were requested by the Guild for its Thanksgiving Dinner Package Project, which “reflects Mount Carmel Guild’s core values of providing hope and preserving dignity through helping our care receivers to celebrate this special holiday with a traditional family meal,” shared Mary Inkrot, MCG executive director. “While inflation has slowed, prices for groceries remain about 25% higher than 2019,” she continued. The funds will be used to purchase turkeys, a significant part of the dinner packages, of which 853 were distributed in November 2023.
St. Vincent de Paul Conference in St. Catharine-St. Margaret Parish, Spring Lake ($2,500)
Emergency housing assistance for 35 families is anticipated by the SVDP conference in St. Catharine-St. Margaret Parish. The agency has already helped 31 families over its current fiscal year, including two families with young children experiencing the death of a parent, as well as food cards and baskets of holiday food to families throughout the year.
St. Vincent de Paul Conference in Holy Eucharist Parish, Tabernacle ($600)
The conference’s Program Gas Cards allows for at least 10 individuals or families to receive assistance in the form of pre-paid fuel cards. “Our goal … is to continue to assist our clients by providing gas cards to purchase fuel needed to travel to doctor’s appointments and job interviews,” said Steve Coffey, grant administrator. “Many of our clients must choose between having the money for rent each month and filling their cars with gasoline.” Eligible recipients are low-income earners, making less than 80% of the poverty level.
St. Vincent de Paul Conference in Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish, Moorestown ($1,000) 
“For some families, summer can be a difficult time since children are not receiving breakfasts or lunches at school, and perhaps no meal at all for the day,” said Dr. Linda M. Dix, president of SVDP Moorestown Conference. The organization will respond with “Summer at the Farm,” a project aided by the Bishop Ahr Grant that aims to allow families in need to visit Johnson’s Corner Farm, Medford, several times for activities and fresh produce. In last year’s Day at the Farm project, “many experienced healing and rejuvenation there,” Dix remarked. “We now even have a new Garden of the Poor on our campus to better meet the needs of our guests.”
St. Vincent de Paul Conference in St. Dorothea Parish, Eatontown ($2,000)
The “Aid to Low Income Families Experiencing Financial Instability” project of the SVDP conference in St. Dorothea Parish will allow the organization to help offset the financial burden for those whose monthly income has gone almost entirely to rent. “Fully 80% of calls to our helpline are from low-income families seeking rental assistance,” said grant administrator Judith E. Trancucci, who noted that Eatontown is one of the most expensive cities in the country for rent. “Bishop Ahr funding will be utilized to assist a total of five families who are beyond an SVDP rent subsidy, to pay for food, clothing, medical and childcare needs, household necessities, utilities and other expenses.”
St. Vincent de Paul Conference in St. Justin the Martyr Parish, Toms River ($1,100)
“On the Path to Recovery Program” is part of the SVDP conference in St. Justin Parish’s commitment to the social service needs of families in the community, including those suffering from addiction. As grant administrator Joanne Bergin notes, one such neighbor called the conference’s Helpline in search of assistance with entering a residential program for men exiting in-patient treatment at Right Coast Recovery. “The barrier for these men is the entry fee and first week’s rent, which totals $550,” Bergin said. Since then, the chapter has helped six men enter the program, and will continue to help others with the Bishop Ahr Fund Grant. “All six have remained on the path of recovery, securing employment and rebuilding relationships with their families.”
St. Vincent de Paul Conference in St. Joseph Parish, Toms River ($2,500)
From October 2023 through May 2024, the SVDP conference in St. Joseph Parish has aided 25 households through its “Utility Assistance to Deserving Families” program, helping with costs for electricity, gas, water and sewer bills. “Our conference projects that we will assist approximately the same number of families for the remainder of the year,” which totaled nearly $17,000, said grant administrator Eileen McCullion. “We also anticipate rising utility costs that are generally predicted.” The grant from the Bishop Ahr Fund will help further this ministry, and “allow deserving families to live with dignity and comfort in their homes.”