National Grid and MercyFirst recently celebrated the grand opening of an upgraded dining room and kitchen at one of MercyFirst’s residences in Merrick.

“Thanks to the generous grant from National Grid, our Merrick Community Residence was able to do beautiful upgrades to both our dining room and kitchen,” said Erica Mattar, MercyFirst’s Sr. Vice President of Long Island Residential Programs. “With all new appliances, flooring, wall treatments and curtains, the space looks completely new. Our youth feel like they matter, and their needs are important to others. We are so appreciative of the kindness showed to us by National Grid, who have made this special house feel even more like a home.”

Our collaboration with MercyFirst was part of our Project Build Day,” added Melanie Littlejohn, National Grid’s Vice President of Community and Customer Management. “We wanted Project Build to make life a little bit easier for our youngest New Yorkers in need – from building beds, to restoring their communal spaces, to building bookshelves and providing books, to sharing words of inspiration. In all, more than 200 of our employees engaged in giving back to kids across the state.”

MercyFirst, a sponsored ministry of the Sisters of Mercy/Hermanas de la Misericordia, inspires hope and promotes healing for children and families by providing quality human services and educational opportunities while advocating for social change. MercyFirst provides community-based prevention services and family foster care, group homes in the community, and campus residential services for the most vulnerable children and families within the child welfare and juvenile justice systems, as well as for unaccompanied migrant children.

Project C, a National Grid New York State program, is designed to go beyond the safe, affordable energy that the company provides its customers. In collaboration with the people of New York, Project C’s goal is to inspire positive change, create positive neighborhood impact, strengthen communities and make a difference for years to come.

Along with volunteerism, Project C focuses on four key priorities: clean energy and sustainability; workforce development; neighborhood investment and community engagement; and environmental justice and social equity. National Grid shareholders fund the initiative.

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