Twenty-three seniors’ names are coming off the Allen Parish Council on Aging’s waiting list. Thanks to a Louisiana Nonprofit and Small Business Grant from the Louisiana Department of Revenue, they’ll now be able to receive hot, home-delivered meals. The not-for-profit organization that helped provide and point ACOA in the direction of available services, including grant sources is Business & Workforce Recovery Solutions. This group also received grant monies for the LDR to help more people find hope.

Patricia “Pat” Jones, ACOA and Allen Parish Transit executive director said lack of funding meant the demand for hot meals and other services were going unmet in her area.

“I understand certain funding for seniors is based on census numbers,” she said. “But that doesn’t help our people.”

When Cathy Denison Robert, Business & Workforce Recovery Solutions, gave a presentation at the Kinder Chamber of Commerce, she got Jones’ attention.

“More than anything, I guess you could say she gave me hope,” Jones said.

Business & Workforce Recovery Solutions is a non-profit charitable organization that has provided professional services for almost 100 non-profits and small business owners, families or individuals thus far, after receiving seed monies earlier this year from the United Way of Southwest LA. Its proactive solutions for disaster/crisis recovery help businesses and nonprofits, individuals and families heal mind, body and spirit, grow personally and transform their lives.

Over 175,000 grant applicants were received by the LDR. Business Workforce & Recovery received $25,000 and Allen Parish COA received almost that much, enough to feed 23 seniors for 26 weeks.

Denison-Robert said the LDR grant will allow Business & Workforce Recovery Solutions to reach more people to help with the COVID disaster recovery process through its Southwest Louisiana Education and Employment Assistance COVID Recovery Project.

“I look forward to this new project enhancing our current efforts, building new relationships, and serving those most in need,” Denison-Robert said.

The Southwest Louisiana Education and Employment Assistance COVID Recovery Project will serve anyone in the state who has been impacted by COVID and the focus will be on Southwest Louisiana. Emphasis will be on assisting small business owners/managers, sole proprietors, farmers, fishermen, nonprofits, churches, schools, part-time business owners, single working moms, individuals, students preparing for employment, displaced, underemployed, or unemployed workers, and their family members through educational and employment assistance programming to help to improve business, workforce, and personal life when dealing with the COVID pandemic. The project will feature a virtual educational recovery conference that will be open to a statewide audience, in addition to those impacted in Southwest Louisiana.

Some disaster- and crisis-related educational topics to be shared include Business Survival and Growth, Workforce Challenges, Counseling and Coping, Employment Mentoring, Improving Spiritual Recovery, Servant Leadership, Change Management, and more. The project activities were recently initiated and will continue through March of 2022.

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Those interested can call (337) 513-4133, email info@businessworkforcerecovery.com or see the website at https://businessworkforcerecovery.com.