The Arc of Warren County has been awarded a $20,000 grant from The John A. & Margaret Post Foundation for the cost of power generators for two of the organization’s group homes in Warren County.

“This grant from The John and Margaret Post Foundation makes a strong positive impact on the Agency and the individuals who we serve,” says John Whitehead, CEO of The Arc of Warren County.  “This grant will enable The Arc of Warren County to maintain consistency in the lives of individuals who we serve when there is a power outage without disruption.  Relocation, even for a short period of time as a result of loss of power, can be very frightening to some of our residents who thrive best with routine.  It can also cost the Agency in additional funds for food, transportation and salaries.”

The project will start immediately and will be completed within four months.  On average, The Agency needs to relocate residents every winter on an average of one to three times as snowstorms routinely cause a loss of power in the rural areas of Warren County.  The State of New Jersey mandates that relocation is necessary in extreme cold or hot temperatures, so this will sometimes cause travel for the most vulnerable of our residents in treacherous weather and road conditions causing serious hardship for the Agency.  As a result of the limited hotel options in the immediate area sometimes staff and residents need to take up temporary occupancy up to 20-30 miles away from their homes.

“This grant award is one that provides peace of mind when the areas in Alpha and Belvidere are affected by outages where these two group homes are located,” says John Whitehead. “The Arc of Warren County community, including myself, is extremely grateful that The John & Margaret Post Foundation afforded us this beneficial opportunity.”

The John A. and Margaret Post Foundation supports charitable organizations that benefit the quality of life for families and society in general, with a primary focus on organizations in northwest New Jersey and northeast Pennsylvania.

The Arc is a national organization that serves individuals with developmental and intellectual disabilities and their family members since 1950.  The Arc of Warren County is one of 700 chapters of The Arc and serves more than 1,100 people annually for the past 65 years.  Programs include residential group homes and supervised apartments, day services, community based supports, advocacy services, recreation and summer camp, Special Olympics training, early intervention and a wide variety of additional social services.