Mental health matters. It’s a basic need.

That’s the message our community has been sending with its significant investment in mental health in recent years. In particular, the Basic Needs Giving Partnership Fund within the Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region, supported by the J. J. Keller Foundation, the U.S. Venture Fund for Basic Needs and other community partners, has focused on addressing poverty by addressing mental health with hundreds of thousands of dollars of grants to collaborative projects in which Samaritan is a partner.

One of those projects, the Mental Health Ministry Initiative, is featured in an article by Katherine Lymn in today’s Post-Crescent online edition.

The initiative — a collaboration between Samaritan, NAMI Fox Valley, the NEW Mental Health Connection and LEAVEN — explores two questions: Do faith leaders understand and embrace their role as “first responders” in mental health? What do they need to fill that role well?

Thanks, Basic Needs Giving Partnership, for making it possible for us to look into one more channel for meeting the mental health needs of our community!