Family Access Network receives $10,000 grant from Les Schwab Tire Centers

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) – The Family Access Network has received a $10,000 grant from Les Schwab Tire Centers to support children and their family members in Central Oregon.

Of that amount, $5,000 of the grant will fund FAN services throughout Central Oregon and the remaining $5,000 is designated to help students and families in Crook County. As pandemic-era expanded support for food, housing, and health care end,

FAN is prioritizing general support and targeted regional support to rural communities, like those assisted in Crook County, where inequities may already be exacerbated by a lack of access to critical services. Wherever FAN advocates are serving in Central Oregon, they strive each day to remove barriers to assistance so that children can thrive in school, no matter their economic challenges.

“For almost two decades, Les Schwab is a valued partner in our work to alleviate poverty in Central Oregon,” said Julie N. Lyche, FAN Executive Director. “This grant will make an impact in the lives of families in need, and we’re thankful for their dedication to give back to their community”

Each day, Les Schwab finds ways to do their part to help and improve communities at a local level. Employees at local Les Schwab Tire Centers sponsor activities such as youth programs, helping families in need, and other events large and small. The local Les Schwab Tire Center has supported school athletics, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and Special Olympics Oregon, to name a few. For over 71 years, Les Schwab has been an active member of every community it serves, earning the trust of people all over the West.

Unique to Central Oregon, FAN began in 1993 and currently employs 27 advocates at 65 sites in Deschutes, Crook, and Jefferson counties. These advocates work tirelessly to help families break the cycle of poverty. The direct placement of FAN advocates within schools allows FAN to effectively reach and connect disadvantaged children and families to essential basic needs.

To learn more about the Family Access Network, please visit familyaccessnetwork.org or call (541) 693-5675.

Family Access Network’s mission is to offer assistance, possibility and hope to Central Oregon families in need by connecting them with crucial resources that will help children flourish in school and in life. Every year, FAN advocates improve the lives of nearly 7,000 children and family members in Deschutes, Crook, and Jefferson counties.