The information table at the market is where WIC participants increase the amount they can spend for healthy food.

Market’s WIC program gets boost from two grants

The Webb City Farmers Market’s fund to increase the spending power of Women and Infant Children participants got two big boosts this month from organizations that give grants to finance worthy projects.

The market was one of 44 area nonprofits whose grant applications have been selected for funding with grants from the W.R. Corley Memorial Trust.

Market manager Rachael Lynch was gratified when she received notification that the application she submitted requesting $5,000 was fully funded.

This is the third round of Corley Memorial grants. W.R. “Bob” Corley, who passed away in 2019, was a lifelong area resident and entrepreneur who supported many area charities and institutions while he was living. Now his perpetual trust continues his generosity by providing financial support to area nonprofit organizations, particularly those which assist the homeless and disadvantaged populations.

This year the distribution committee awarded $246,962 in grants to the 44 nonprofits selected from a pool of 70 applicants.

“We are confident Bob would be proud of each of these organizations and the much needed services they provide to our neighbors,” said Chuck Brown, senior vice president and trust officer at Southwest Missouri Bank.

Sparklight Charitable Giving grants $4,000

Officials from the local Sparklight office delivered a $4,000 check to the market on Tuesday, June 14, to support the WIC program.

The market is one of 29 organizations in 14 states receiving grants this spring from Cable One and its family of brands, including Sparklight. 

Through its Charitable Giving Fund, CableOne/Sparklight annually awards $200,000 in grants to 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations in the areas it serves.

The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, known as WIC, is a federal assistance program that provides an EBT card monthly to those who sign up for the program and meet the requirements.

The Corley and Sparklight grants will allow the market to continue increasing the buying power of WIC participants when they purchase healthy food at the market. 

The nonprofits receiving Corley grants in 2022 are:

Alliance of SWMO
Angel Guild
Area Agency on Aging, Region X
Aspire Scholarship Program
Boys & Girls Club of Southwest Missouri
Bright Futures Joplin
Bright Futures Neosho
Carthage Crisis Center
Children’s Haven of Southwest Missouri, Inc.
Community Clinic of Southwest Missouri
Connect2Culture
Creative Learning Alliance
Crosslines Ministries Neosho
Downtown Joplin Alliance
Fostering Hope
Freeman Health System
God’s Resort
Hearts & Hammers
Higher Power Garage
Home Builders Association of Southwest Missouri
Jasper County CASA
Joplin Area Fuller Center for Housing
Joplin Area Habitat for Humanity
Joplin Dental School
Joplin Historical & Mineral Museum
Joplin Humane Society
Joplin Kiwanis
Joplin NALA Read
Joplin Rotary
Joplin Workshops
Lafayette House
Life Choices
Lion Co-Op @ MSSU
Mercy Health Foundation Joplin
Missouri Southern Foundation
Neosho Area Habitat for Humanity
Pro Musica
Regional Health & Welfare
Salvation Army – Jasper Newton County (Carthage)
Spiva Center for the Arts
Vision Carthage
Watered Gardens Ministries
Webb City Farmers Market
Wildcat Glades