(June 13) At its May 17 meeting, the Board of Directors of The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina (CFWNC) approved a $150,000 grant to support the Town of Canton. Pactiv Evergreen paper mill in Canton announced its permanent closing on March 6, 2023, affecting 800 families directly at the Canton facility and countless auxiliary services and businesses. The grant award will underwrite a full-time Recovery Officer to help the Town access funds to assist in its economic recovery and transition.
“CFWNC reached out proactively to see how they could best support our efforts during this very difficult time,” said Nick Scheuer, Canton’s Town Manager. “There are numerous funding and planning opportunities, but the process to work through these is complicated and time consuming. We operate with a very small staff and having an Officer dedicated to recovery opportunities, whether it’s planning, project management, grant identification, administration, or community outreach during this early transition period, is enormously beneficial. CFWNC staff members were at the table early to understand the needs and pressing issues, and we are grateful for their approach and partnership.”
“CFWNC will continue to listen and learn from key partners including Haywood County, state and federal staff and program administrators, the Southwestern Commission, Economic Development Administration, Haywood Community College and other nonprofits,” said CFWNC Senior Program Officer Tara Scholtz. “We are coordinating with Dogwood Health Trust and other funders because we understand that the situation affects people in Haywood County and beyond and will require years of work and collaboration to address comprehensively.”