Coastal Bend Community Foundation awards $5,000 grant to The Ark

The Ark Assessment Center and Emergency Shelter for Youth in Calallen has received a $5,000 grant from the Coastal Bend Community Foundation.
Part of the grant will be used to purchase the duffel bags (containing clothes and other items) that the children take with them when they are discharged from the shelter.

Delma Trejo, executive director/administrator, said the duffel bags mean a lot to the children, who will not have to be "walking around with trash bags" to carry their possessions. A duffel bag is "not embarrassing for them. They'll have some pride, something they can call theirs."

The balance of the funds will buy sturdy chairs capable of accommodating booster seats at the dining/activity room table and sustaining constant use.

The Ark, cares for children and youth who are removed from their homes by the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services due to abuse or neglect by a parent or guardian. It is the only licensed facility within an 80-mile radius contracted by the state to provide assessment services and emergency shelter for up to 37 minors, ages 0 through 17.

Everything required for the residents' well-being is supplied for up to 90 consecutive days while they are evaluated for placement in an appropriate long-term site.

For more details, contact Trejo or Sister Milagros Tormo, MJMJ, board president, at (361) 241-6566. The agency's website - www.ark4kids.com - has additional information about the shelter.