Due to a grant provided by the DeKalb County Community Foundation, last year’s Thanksgiving dinner at Hope Haven was saved, said Lesly Wicks, executive director.

“Three weeks before our Thanksgiving meal, our last oven broke,” she said. “We received an opportunity grant, which is for emergencies that happen between [fall and spring] grant cycles, which saved Thanksgiving because there was nowhere else where we could have gotten that immediate response.”

This year’s deadline for applications for the DeKalb County Community Foundation’s fall grant period is Wednesday. Applications may be mailed or delivered to the foundation’s office, 2600 DeKalb Ave. in Sycamore.

The DeKalb County Community Foundation is geared to assist non-profit organizations in DeKalb County, dealing primarily with equipment grants as opposed to operating revenue, he said.

The organization’s awards during 2004 are expected to total over $750,000.

Fall and spring grants come from an unrestricted fund from individual donors, businesses and organizations throughout the region, said Jerome Smith, executive director of the foundation.

Six members of the foundation meet as a grants committee and have one month to review applications and make recommendations for a recipient, he said.

The foundation encourages grants in Arts and Culture, Community Development and Urban Affairs, Education and Health and Human Services.

In spring of 2004, $189,567 was given to 59 county non-profit organizations, including $2,000 to the NIU Founders Memorial Library for computer and scanning equipment for digitization of historical materials and $7,000 to the NIU Health and Human Sciences/DeKalb County Housing Authority to support a senior citizen exercise program.

Since the foundation’s inception in 1993, nearly $6 million has been awarded.

“Due to state budget cuts and the low economy, the foundation grant money has been critical to our operations,” Wicks said. “They’ve always been there as a safe place to turn to when we need help.”