Community Help in Park Slope, a nonprofit serving Brooklyn’s vulnerable population for more than 50 years, has been awarded the 2025 Spark Prize from Brooklyn.Org.
The Spark Prize is an annual award that grants unrestricted $100,000 funding to five Brooklyn-based nonprofit organizations demonstrating a strong commitment to racial and social justice.
CHiPS provides free hot meals, pantry and shelter to those in need, with a particular focus on expectant and new mothers. The organization, supported by permanent staff and volunteers, delivered more than 190,000 meals to 1,000 people last year, Executive Director Peter Endriss told BK Reader.
“We also run a pantry program out of our brick and mortar and we have a mobile pantry van that we started about a year ago,” he said.
In addition to its food assistance programs, CHiPS operates a residence for expectant mothers, offering nine furnished studio apartments to women in their third trimester or with children under the age of three. Residents receive housing and access to biweekly meetings that connect them with critical resources.
Endriss said demand for CHiPS’ services has continued to grow, and the Spark Prize will help the organization expand its reach.
“It will help us improve our services so we can provide more fresh foods and vegetables and continue to improve our client choice model for our pantry program and our food services,” he said.
