Bay Shore, NY - June 22, 2016 - On Wednesday, June 8th, community leaders joined with Kathleen Bennett, President of Pronto of Long Island, Inc., a not-for-profit, Community Outreach Center serving the most vulnerable children and families living in Brentwood, Bay Shore, Central Islip and neighboring communities, to announce their receipt of a grant by the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York (DASNY) at Bella Verde in Brentwood.
The grant will allow Pronto, an affiliate of Family Residences and Essential Enterprises, Inc. (FREE), to update the computer infrastructure at Pronto. This upgrade will help Pronto to provide computer classes in English and Spanish for the community. The computer upgrade will also allow Pronto to provide Test Assessing Secondary Completion (TASC) classes, citizenship classes and will provide software for resource and referral for Pronto’s programs. The grant will also be used to install solar power at Pronto for energy efficiency.
“We’re grateful for the receipt of this grant as it will help us tremendously in our efforts to help the people we serve,” said Kathleen Bennett, President of Pronto. “We will continue to explore any and all avenues to raise funds to help this grossly underserved community,” she continued.
About Pronto of Long Island, Inc.
Pronto opened its doors in 1969 in a 5th Avenue storefront as a center to help the poor. It began from the vision of a group of committed lay people and clergy at St. Anne's Roman Catholic Church. Today, Pronto of Long Island is a community outreach center serving the most vulnerable children and families living in Brentwood, Bay Shore, Central Islip and neighboring communities. Pronto has a food pantry, thrift center and warehouse with gently used household and furniture items. Pronto also offers programs and services to help families improve the quality of their lives.
The mission of Pronto is to feed the hungry, clothe the needy, welcome the stranger and provide healing and hope to everyone who walks through our doors.
Pronto truly is People Helping People.
About Family Residences and Essential Enterprises, Inc. (FREE)
Family Residences and Essential Enterprises, Inc. (FREE) collaborates with a variety of diverse 501 c3 nonprofit partners on educational, vocational, rehabilitative and a myriad of other creative initiatives to enhance the local communities and the lives of those that reside within them. Each of the valued partners of the Family of FREE Network have a unique mission, vision and strategic goals that are aligned in purpose, and embody the spirit of the meaningful work we do every day.
Members of the Network work synergistically to strengthen, expand and diversify their programs to offer the highest quality of services to those we are privileged to support.
Each partner has identified their own path to achieving strategic objectives and countless individualized possibilities have been co-created for those we support. For more information, please call 516-870-7000 or visit www.familyres.org.