POINT CLEAR, Alabama—Members of Impact 100, a nonprofit group of Baldwin County women, voted in person Sunday and by proxy to award $106,000 grants to two local charities for programs to fight hunger and homelessness in the county.

At the group’s annual meeting Nov. 6 at the Grand Hotel Marriott Resort, Golf Club & Spa, the nearly 100 members in attendance listened closely to short summaries from among the five finalist organizations about projects in the grant categories of art, education, environment, family and health.

“After months of hard work and anticipation, the time has finally come to choose the organizations that you want to receive the awards,” said Nancye Wolfe, Impact 100 treasurer.

After the votes were counted by Gigi Lott, an independent observer and accountant with the Russell, Thompson, Butler and Houston firm of Mobile and Fairhope, Spanish Fort-based Prodisee Pantry and Roberstdale-based Family Promise of Baldwin County were announced as the grant winners.

“The new face of hunger is the working middle class and elderly who are struggling to put food on their tables,” said Karen Dotson, board chairman of Prodisee Pantry, the county’s largest emergency food provider, during her project summary before the vote. “For many people the American Dream has turned into a nightmare and they haven’t woken up yet. “

The grant will help the group purchase a walk-in freezer and cooler at a new warehouse, which will increase the amount of storage space for nutritious frozen foods and emergency ice and medications storage, she said.

“This means everything for us and will help us continue our ministry and serve more people,” Dotson said after the award ceremony.

The grant to Family Promise of Baldwin County will help the group find a permanent home for their organization that helps homeless families.

“We are the only homeless shelter that serves families with children in the county,” said Mike Brokowsky, the group’s director, during his project summary. “We desperately need a place of our own.”

After the awards were announced, he said his group would start looking this week for a permanent home for their day care operation, which serves as the hub of their services.

“All of your projects are very deserving,” Nancy Corte, Impact 100’s immediate past president, told all the finalists. “Keep applying in the future. We hope to hear from all of you next year.”