Art Colony is Touchstone Award recipient

Four area non-profits were selected Tuesday for the Duluth Superior Area Community Foundation’s Touchstone Awards. The Grand Marais Art Colony was one of those winners.

The 2011 Touchstone Award honors nonprofit programs and projects that exemplify leadership in fostering the values of generosity, civic engagement and inclusiveness. This year, four organizations received grants in the amount of $2,500 in those categories

The Art Colony was one of two organizations winning in the generosity category. They were recognized for their work on the Empty Bowls Hunger Awareness Project. According to the Touchstone selection committee, the Art Colony in a period of economic downturn “did almost the unthinkable. It invested time, money, power and other resources to raise funds for another charity, the Cook County Food Shelf.”

From 2007 to 2009 Cook County has seen a doubling in the number of families needing food. The awards committee pointed out that revenue from the Empty Bowls project constitutes the largest annual contribution to the local food shelf.

In the same vein, Second Harvest Northern Lakes Food Bank was also given a generosity award. Second Harvest has upped its food distribution by 25 %, their volunteer hours have nearly doubled and financial contributions have increased by 32 %.

Also, Sustainable Twin Ports won for civic engagement and Madeline Island Anishinaabeg Gathering Organizing Committee won for inclusiveness.