CAPE GIRARDEAU, MO. – Lutheran Family and Children’s Services (LFCS) has been awarded a $10,000 grant from the Procter & Gamble Fund of the Greater Cincinnati Foundation to improve housing conditions for vulnerable children and families in the Southeast Missouri region.
From left: Christy O’Neal, Angela LaClair, Michelle Jones, and Evelyn Beussink (all LFCS employees); Center: Kelison Hines (P&G family care administrative assistant) and Tashia Varner (P&G baby care administrative assistant); Tammy Hargis, Jessica Kruger and Erin Doughten (LFCS employees).
The funding supports P&G’s “Clean and Healthy Homes for Kids” initiative. LFCS will lead the program’s implementation locally, working directly with families enrolled in its Parenting Program in Southeast Missouri.
“We want to thank Procter & Gamble for this generous and important grant,” said Christy O’Neal, LFCS regional development officer. “The need in the community is significant. These funds allow us to address urgent health and safety concerns that other funding sources often do not cover, such as pest removal, junk hauling or replacing unsafe mattresses. When those barriers are removed, families are better positioned to focus on stability and long-term progress.”
LFCS case workers are already identifying qualifying families and assessing home conditions to determine immediate needs. The grant will provide direct financial and material assistance to approximately 90 pregnant women, parents, and children in the LFCS Parenting Program.
Eligible support includes cleaning supplies, pest treatment, junk removal, and essential household replacements that improve living conditions and reduce health risks for children.
The LFCS Parenting Program serves families considered at risk for child abuse or neglect. Through intensive case management, supportive counseling, and evidence-based parenting education, LFCS works to strengthen protective factors and build safer home environments. For many of these families, unsafe or unhealthy living conditions can create additional stress and risk, even when parents are actively working to improve stability. By addressing those environmental concerns directly, the initiative strengthens the broader goal of preventing abuse and neglect.
A key goal of this effort is for at least 75 percent of participating families to make measurable progress toward creating a cleaner, safer, and healthier home for their children. To learn more about this program or to see if your family is eligible for assistance, please call 866-326-LFCS or email help@lfcs.org.
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About LFCS
Lutheran Family and Children Services (LFCS) is a statewide agency headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, with regional offices in Columbia, Cape Girardeau, Springfield, Joplin, and Kansas City, as well as numerous satellite counseling sites. LFCS serves Missouri families from all walks of life in their greatest times of need. The nonprofit social services organization provides six critical support areas to help children and families: adoption, behavioral health, parenting education, pregnancy support, foster care, and childcare at the Hilltop Child and Family Development