The grants were awarded to six projects including a group providing dental care for aged residents, a local high school ‘cycology’ program, and a volunteer program teaching creative writing and storytelling to young school children.

Calvary’s Director of Mission for Tasmania, Tony Brennan, said the grants have supported many groups and organisations across Tasmania.

“The Calvary Community Council is Calvary’s charitable arm in Tasmania and has provided more than $500,000 since starting the grants scheme in 2009,” Mr Brennan said.

“The Council was established to aid Tasmanians in need, reflecting Calvary’s social justice tradition and mission to care for marginalised and vulnerable people.”

“Calvary has been caring for Tasmanians for more than 80 years. We are part of the fabric of this community and we are proud to continue that legacy.”

Mr Brennan said grants were designed to support grassroots groups continuing the important work they do helping others in need.

“Over the years, some of our recipients have used the money for small, one-off projects, and for others it has been seed funding to try something new or innovative to help vulnerable groups locally”.

This year’s recipients are:

• Share the Dignity - To stock a dignity vending machine for a year for homeless and vulnerable women in the Devonport area.

• Deloraine High School’s Ready to Shready student cycology initiative - To purchase additional mountain bikes for the school’s loan scheme, allowing students who don’t own a bike themselves to be able to participate in the popular outdoor program.

• The Salvos Sunday Dinner - For providing a free meal, social and psychological support for people in the Hobart area who are or have been homeless, or are experiencing social isolation. As many as 50 people attend the dinner each Sunday.

• Healthy Smiles for Australian Seniors - A pilot project through the Australian Dental Foundation. The funds will help purchase a new portable x-ray unit as part of mobile dental services to aged care homes in Tasmania.

• The Story Island Project - A Hobart-based not-for-profit organisation that nurtures the creativity and writing skills of young Tasmanians. Trained volunteers deliver free creative storytelling workshops in a range of state schools.

• HeartKids - For supporting children diagnosed with congenital heart disease and their families. A new project aims to help fathers of HeartKids manage their mental health to better cope with the challenges they face as parents and carers.

The Calvary Community Council offers two state-wide grant rounds per year for not-for-profit Tasmanian organisations. Grants of up to $5000 each give preference to organisations proposing innovative projects designed to address unmet health needs in the community, and in particular for marginalised and vulnerable groups, children and adolescents (0-18), young adults (18-30), and the elderly.

Mr Brennan said the Council seeks where possible to fund a spread of projects from around Tasmania in each round, including the north, north-west and southern Tasmania.

The next round of grants will open in late March for six weeks and be announced in July.