MILWAUKEE (Dec. 7, 2016) –Cousins Subs® Make It Better Foundation has awarded $4,000 in grants to two southeastern Wisconsin nonprofits—Faith, Hope & Love and the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) of Waukesha County.

A $2,000 grant was awarded to Faith, Hope & Love for its Duffels for Kids program, which provides a fleece blanket, stuffed animal, storybook, flashlight and hygiene items to law enforcement, foster care, homeless and domestic abuse shelters across southeastern Wisconsin. Grant funds will ensure that displaced children receive a duffel bag filled with personal care and comfort items when transitioning between living situations.

“Receiving the funds from Cousins Subs Make It Better Foundation will allow us to provide 100 Duffels for Kids bags to children removed from their home due to abuse, neglect or a tragedy,” said Heather Lojeski, executive director of Faith, Hope & Love. “Without funding for Duffels for Kids, children are given a black trash bag for their personal belongings.”

National Alliance on Mental Illness of Waukesha County was awarded $2,000 for its Ending the Silence program. This program uses an interactive presentation to help adolescents identify the early warning signs of mental health conditions and learn how to access help for themselves or friends who are exhibiting early warning signs or contemplating suicide. Each presentation consists of two young adult speakers living with a mental health condition who share their journey of recovery and answer any questions attending teens may have.

“Thanks to the support of the Cousins Subs Make It Better Foundation, NAMI Waukesha is expanding Ending the Silence presentations to Brookfield Central and Brookfield East High Schools during the 2016-2017 school year, with the goal to reach 480 students,” said Andrea Grittner, director of development and marketing for NAMI Waukesha. “NAMI Waukesha acknowledges Cousins Subs Make It Better Foundation for their generous support.”

Each grant is funded through the Cousins Subs Make It Better Foundation, a nonprofit charitable organization established in 2013. The Make It Better Foundation aims to improve the general welfare and quality of life in the communities Cousins Subs serves and addresses three areas of interest that are vital to any community: health and wellness, hunger and youth education.

“Cousins Subs has a long-standing tradition in giving back to the local communities we call home,” said Justin McCoy, director on Cousins Subs Make It Better Foundation board. “We’re honored to support these two nonprofit organizations as they work to improve health and wellness programs across southeastern Wisconsin.”

Interested nonprofit and community organizations can visit cousinssubs.com/foundation to find out more information on eligibility and how to apply.

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ABOUT COUSINS SUBS

Wisconsin-based Cousins Subs®, a family-owned, fast casual sub shop established in 1972 by Bill Specht and his cousin, is driven by the mission to Believe in Better – both in the quality of food it serves and in the communities it supports. Cousins Subs and its franchisees operate more than 100 sub sandwich shops throughout Wisconsin and Arizona, providing guests with quality deli fresh and made to order grilled subs using only the freshest ingredients on its signature bread baked daily. For more information, visit www.cousinssubs.com. You can also find Cousins Subs on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.