Q2 2026: Small Groups Doing Big Things

This quarter’s grants from the Gregory J. Reiter Memorial Fund focused on grassroots organizations and initiatives that are having outsized impact in their communities — for both animals and people.

A grant to People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) helped support its Community Animal Project, which partners with local organizations in under-resourced communities across Virginia. This quarter, PETA presented its 11th annual Gregory J. Reiter Animal Rescue Award to one of these groups, the all-volunteer Twin County Humane Society (TCHS) in Southwest Virginia, with special recognition to volunteer Susan McGrady Hevey. TCHS assists thousands of animals and their guardians each year, and plays a critical role in safeguarding community public health. Its services include companion animal rescue and foster, free and low-cost rabies and other vaccinations, spay/neuter procedures, and emergency veterinary assistance.

A donation to the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) focused on its Food for Life grant program. Since 2001, Food for Life has trained and certified instructors to lead classes in their local communities or online — promoting a healthful plant-based lifestyle based on the latest nutrition science, with cooking demonstrations and practical meal preparation tips. Nearly 500 instructors teach Food for Life classes across the United States and in over 30 countries. PCRM launched its grant program in 2024 to support instructors who offer free classes for audiences with high rates of chronic disease.

A grant to A Well-Fed World contributed to the Awali Veganic Homestead Education Center outside Atlanta, Georgia. The Awali team of farmers and food justice activists work in the areas of nutrition security, ecological restoration, and animal-free growing techniques. Since 2009, they have empowered individuals and families to improve their personal food security by planting backyard and community food gardens. Onsite programs include veganic agriculture and gardening classes, plant-based cooking lessons, vegan feasts, and youth camps. Resources include an organic seed library, a kitchen classroom video series, and a podcast.

A grant to Sentient Media helped support the nonprofit news organization’s coverage of factory farms and their effects on climate, animals, workers, and rural communities. Recent pieces include When Your “Local” Meat Market is Actually Owned by JBS and The Instagram Account Exposing a Meat Industry Giant. Another Sentient piece, In Vermont, Residents Are Fighting to Free Their Dairy Farmworker Neighbors, has been selected for HarperCollins’ Best American Food and Travel Writing 2026, edited by chef and humanitarian José Andrés.

THANK YOU to … 

The Foundation for Enhancing Communities (Harrisburg, PA), one of the earliest U.S. community foundations, which has served as this Fund’s manager since New Year 2022.

Those who have donated into the Gregory J. Reiter Memorial Fund this quarter! While the Fund runs primarily on assets Greg left behind, it has also expanded its reach through donations from friends and supporters like you:

• Scott Anderson
• Keith Kemplin
• Deborah Kula
• Robin Odowd
• Diana Ok
• Anonymous