FAIRHOPE, Ala. - A local social service agency learned this month that it is a top finalist in Pepsi’s “Do Good for the Gulf Program” and is on track to receive $25,000 in funding for a project to help families affected by the oil spill.

“It’s going to help our emergency aid program during this period,” said Sally Deane, executive director of Ecumenical Ministries Inc.’s Fairhope office. “A lot of the families we are seeing may have been impacted indirectly by the oil spill. That’s where we can help. People that are directly affected have a better case with BP.”

The $1.3 million “Do Good for the Gulf Program” is an offshoot of the Pepsi Refresh Project launched in January by the soft drink giant. That $20 million project has handed out $10.6 million in grants so far this year for projects that “move communities forward,” according to the project website.

Proposals are submitted by groups and individuals, then voted on by the public online, with the top vote-getters winning the grants.

The Gulf funding program was created to support ideas that will have a positive impact on communities affected by the oil spill.

Proposals for that program were due in July, and voting took place in August.

Finalists were announced on Sept. 2, with 32 probable grantees in categories of $5,000, $25,000, $50,000 and $250,000.

Some confusion was caused by information on the project website that stated the actual winners would be announced Sept. 22, a Pepsi Refresh spokesperson said.

“The finalists have been selected, and they are pretty much guaranteed to get their funding,” said Lauren Klein for the Pepsi project. “But there is some verification of the proposals that still needs to take place before the money is handed over.”

Pending that verification, the grants should be disbursed in the next few weeks to those finalists, Klein said.

EMI came in third of 73 proposals submitted in the $25,000 category, according to the project website. The number of votes cast overall or for each project were not immediately available, according to Pepsi project staff.

“The oil spill’s effect will directly and indirectly impact our service area in months to come as families have their income interrupted due to job loss or due to businesses that will not recover, leaving us with a higher rate of unemployment,” states a description of the EMI project at the Pepsi Refresh website. “We staff two emergency aid offices, with trained staff and volunteers to evaluate each family’s crisis and help them through this difficult time. We will provide assistance with food, emergency medical, rent and utility assistance.”

The funding will also support the group’s project to help provide Christmas presents for children.

The project states that $15,000 will go for direct aid to families, $5,000 for the group's food pantries, and $5,000 for Christmas gifts for children.

Several projects in the Mobile to Pensacola area also made the finalist list, including one to an accounting firm in Daphne to assist families in filling out claims with BP.

The funding for top finalist in the $250,000 category will support a project to provide mental health services and create jobs in a Louisiana community.

“We started out ranked at seventh and then moved up to third and just stayed there,” Deane said. “We didn’t have an organized group of people voting for us. We just sent out a notice through Facebook. It is truly a blessing to receive the funding.”

For more information about Ecumenical Ministries visit its website at www.baldwinemi.org. To review the project finalists of the Pepsi Gulf program, visit www.refresheverything.com.