LeeAnn Meer, director of Friends Against Abuse, said a $75,000 grant from the Otto Bremer Foundation couldn’t have come at a better time.

“This grant from the Otto Bremer Foundation comes at a time when the need is great and funds are shrinking,” she said.

The Otto Bremer Foundation last week announced 52 grants totaling $7 million to address the impact of the persistently difficult economic conditions on the lives of vulnerable people, especially those living in poverty. The grants will enable community organizations like Friends Against Abuse and others in Minnesota, North Dakota and Wisconsin to provide support for basic needs, such as food, clothing, shelter and access to medical care. Grants will also provide opportunities for people living in poverty to access the tools, skills, connections and other resources they need to begin to change their situation over the long term.

“This two-pronged approach addressing immediate needs during a time of crisis and providing opportunities to achieve long-term economic stability is part of a deep tradition at the Otto Bremer Foundation,” William H. Lipschultz, a trustee of the Foundation said in a statement. “Otto Bremer believed that people could survive and flourish if they had help at critical times.”

 In the same statement, Daniel C. Reardon, a Foundation trustee, said, “Over the last year, we have learned from community organizations serving the vulnerable that clients are facing more serious and deeper crises than in the past. Our goal is to enable organizations to provide the intensive services and staff time needed to make a difference.”

Meer referred to the grant given to Friends Against Abuse as “generous,” and said the money will be put towards creating a community response to domestic violence that coordinates all the community resources, holds offenders accountable and stops these senseless crimes.

 She continued that the organization has a strong relationship and history with the Otto Bremer Foundation.

“Much of our success is directly tied to OBF,” she noted. “We are very grateful to receive this much needed funding that will result in a healthier International Falls.”

The year-end awards are part of approximately $30 million in Otto Bremer Foundation grants made in 2011. For more information, visit the foundation’s website at www.ottobremer.org.