Family Access Network receives $2,500 grant to support Crook County high schools

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- The Family Access Network has received a $2,500 grant from the Pacific Power Foundation to support services for high schools in Crook County.

FAN advocates in Crook County are working every day to make sure students and their families have access to assistance, including rent relief, utility assistance, nourishing food, warm clothing for winter, health care, and much more. FAN’s vision is a community where children flourish and families thrive—no matter their economic circumstances. Last year, FAN helped over 500 individuals in Crook County.

“FAN began serving Crook County in 2016, and it has been heartening to see how quickly the local community has joined in our efforts to alleviate poverty, especially during these difficult times. We are thrilled Pacific Power Foundation joined with us to provide vital supports for Crook County students and their family members,” said Julie N. Lyche, FAN Executive Director.

The Pacific Power Foundation is one of the largest utility-endowed foundations in the United States. The foundation was created in 1988 by PacifiCorp, an electric utility serving 1.8 million customers in six Western states as Rocky Mountain Power (Utah, Wyoming and Idaho) and Pacific Power (Oregon, Washington and California). The foundation’s mission, through charitable investments, is to support the growth and vitality of the communities served by Rocky Mountain Power and Pacific Power. For more information, visit www.rockymountainpower.net/foundation or www.pacificpower.net/foundation.

Unique to Central Oregon, FAN began in 1993 and currently employs 30 advocates at 66 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 8,000 children and family members in Deschutes, Crook, and Jefferson counties.