The Moore County Community Foundation distributed $80,000 during its third annual grants reception Thursday morning at the Southern Pines Civic Club.

The foundation awarded grants to 41 nonprofit organizations from all over Moore County. That is up from 23 awarded last year. The awards come from the foundation’s community fund and the John W. and Marjorie A. Roffe Endowment.

Hugh Bingham, president of the foundation’s board, credited the success of these funds and continued local backing to the foundation’s ability to help support so many local organizations.

“You can see that the folks in this room do a lot of good, hard things each day,” he told the group during the reception. “It’s an honor for us to be associated with you and what you do.”

This year, the foundation awarded two grants in memory of Tony Parker, a longtime Moore County resident and active contributor to the community.

Parker’s son, John, awarded these grants to Junior Achievement of Moore County and Communities in Schools mentoring program. As he distributed the grants, Parker said these organizations were selected because they embody the principles that his father valued — sacrificial service, family, entrepreneurship and community.

Funds from these grants were generated through donations made to the foundation in Parker’s honor after his death last year.

Bingham said the foundation has seen interest in the grants grow significantly in the last year because of the unstable economic climate and the fact that more residents are learning about the foundation’s reach thanks to the annual Man and Woman of the Year dinner.

As recipients came forward to accept their grants, they talked about how their organizations will use the money to help make a difference in the community.

As a first-time recipient, Suzanne Clendenin, executive director of the Life Care Pregnancy Center, said she looks forward to using the funds to start a mentoring program for struggling mothers this fall. The program will pair mentors with new mothers coming from unstable or unsupportive circumstances, allowing these mothers to gain the skills they need to be good parents.

Other recipients included Animal Advocates of Moore County, the Boys and Girls Club of the Sandhills, Carolina Performing Arts Center, Carolina Philharmonic, Girl Scouts of Coastal Pines, Habitat for Humanity of the NC Sandhills, the Malcolm Blue Historical Society, MIRA, Friend to Friend, the N.C. Agricultural Foundation, Drug Free Moore County, Meals on Wheels and Family Promise of Moore County, among others.

The Moore County Community Foundation is an affiliate of the North Carolina Community Foundation, a statewide community development organization founded in 1988 to supports a grassroots network of nonprofit organizations by promoting philanthropy.

Contact Hannah Sharpe at hannah@thepilot.com.