Newton, NC – Eastern Catawba Cooperative Christian Ministry (ECCCM) announces new program through partnership with Catawba Valley Community College (CVCC) and the Manufacturing & Furniture Academy.

Offering a hand up and not a hand out, ECCCM has collaborated with CVCC and the Manufacturing & Furniture Academy to offer a scholarship program for the low income, working poor, often clients of ECCCM. Clients involved in ECCCM case management may be eligible for the scholarships. Through the scholarship program, participants enroll in an 11-week course to train, certify, and be “workforce ready”. Graduates of the course will be considered for job placement as a result of the training.

“The program is sure to help increase wages and diminish the poverty cycle, offering much hope for our clients,” stated Rev. Robert Silber, Executive Director of the ministry. “The training program is a win for all; it benefits the employer by having an eligible employee trained and ready to work.”

Those interested in learning more about the program, may contact Rev. Robert Silber at 828-465-1702.

ECCCM is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2019. The organization remains true to the mission of the original founders in 1969, bringing together the resources of the Christian community to serve the people in need of crisis assistance, support and education, in response to God’s call.

ECCCM, a Catawba County United Way partner agency, provides assistance with mortgage/rent payments, utility bills, hunger relief, transportation, and financial coaching. ECCCM has extended “a hand up, not a hand out” to those in need in eastern Catawba County since 1969, never turning away a qualifying client.