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Poverello House and WestCare of Fresno announced that they’ve been selected for grants worth a total of 5 million from the Day 1 Families Fund.

Each organization will receive $2.5 million.

Launched in 2018 by Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos, the Day 1 Families Fund issues annual leadership awards to organizations and civic groups doing work to provide food and shelter to address the immediate needs of young families. Poverello House provides food and shelter for the homeless and WestCare California, Inc., assists in housing, mental health and wellness, criminal justice, veterans services, education and prevention and substance abuse rehabilitation.

“Poverello House is ecstatic to be selected by the Day 1 Families Fund,” said Zachary Darrah, Poverello House CEO. “This grant will be transformational for families in Fresno and our organization as we design a state-of-the-art program to assist families in their journey out of homelessness.”

Poverello and WestCare are two of 42 nonprofits across the country to receive Day 1 funding in a third-annual round of grants worth a total of $105.9 million this year.