City of Refuge receives grant from The Primerica Foundation

City of Refuge, a group that helps individuals and families transition out of crisis, is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. City of Refuge focuses its work in Atlanta’s historic Westside neighborhood and is working to restore this area by providing various services and programs to the community that will bring light, hope and transformation to the neighborhood.

“When we started our ministry 25 years ago, we were led by the mission to build individuals, families and communities together. On the Westside, it was clear that brokenness had displaced hope. Our goal was to repair what was broken and bring light to a place that had grown increasingly dark,” said Bruce Deel, founder and CEO of City of Refuge.

Like most nonprofits, City of Refuge saw need for its services, which include meal service and educational resources, skyrocket as the coronavirus pandemic began to affect Atlanta in early 2020.

“We know that during times of crisis, one of the first places people look is to see what steps nonprofits are taking to protect our communities and con- tinue serving the vulnerable,” said Deel. “At the height of the pandemic, we kept providing three meals a day, amplified our educational resources while in-person school was out, and enhanced our outreach to the elderly and chil- dren whose lives were most disrupted.”

This month City of Refuge was awarded a $50,000 grant from Atlanta-based The Primerica Foundation in support of the nonprofit’s efforts. The grant will go to work in fund- ing City of Refuge’s ongoing services and programs.