Stepping Stones Guidelines

The Heaven’s Kitchen Stepping Stone Fund aims to fill a need by directly supporting individuals and families both financially and through community resources. Two recipients will be chosen annually to receive needed funds and resources to stabilize their current situation. While financial assistance will not be ongoing past the initial disbursement, the goal is to utilize the provided Support Plan to create a path for growth and success.

St. Landry residents may request assistance from the Heaven’s Kitchen for the following reasons:

• Sudden financial hardship due to personal or family illness/injury, loss of job, death in immediate family, loss of primary residence or anything considered a severe life disruption.
• An instance that prevents or hinders you from reporting to work, such as transportation, childcare and/or impending eviction/foreclosure resulting in homelessness.

The stated purpose of the Fund is to fill a need by directly supporting individuals and families both financially and through community resources. Normally, these needs are defined as, but are not limited to the following:

• Primary lodging – Mortgage or Rent
• Utilities – Electric, Natural Gas, Water
• Medical Expenses – Physical and Mental Health
• Transportation
• Vehicle repair of primary vehicle
• Groceries – including baby formula
• Hygiene Items – soap, shampoo, paper towels, toothpaste, toothbrush, toilet paper, including diapers, baby basic hygiene needs, etc.
• Basic clothing

The Fund is intended to act as a stepping stone, providing temporary help to financially support an individual or family experiencing crisis and to stabilize current financial strains. Assistance from the fund is intended to be a one time gift. The total gift amount will be dependent on the current financial state of the Fund.

The recipient chosen for assistance will also be provided with a Support Plan to assist in achievement of their goals. This assistance can include but is not limited to financial planning assistance, housing resources, physical and mental health referrals including health insurance counseling, food insecurity resources and child care resources. Recipients will also be made available a guide of resources for other needs. Those not selected will be notified via mail and email.

Individuals seeking assistance must grant the Board of Directors permission to follow up on any of the information provided. The Board of Directors shall hold all matters in confidence. It is the sole decision of the recipient if they choose to publicly share that they are a recipient. The Board of Directors will in no way use the likeness or identifying remarks in marketing materials. The Board of Directors will be able to use the action plan and resources accessed to provide transparency about how the Stepping Stone Program has supported the recipient.

Recipient Support Plan

Selected recipients will also be provided with a support plan. This plan will include identifying the goals of the recipient to stabilize their current situation and recommended resources and support. It will provide a guide of what steps need to be taken in order to best prevent themselves from experiencing a similar type of crisis. The Board of Directors will assist the recipient in making appointments, connecting them to resources, and following up within a designated time frame on set goals. Recipients are required to work through the goals of the support plan and provide outcomes to the Board on successes and roadblocks.