ST. JOSEPH — When Arquilla Lewis joined the Ferry Street Resource Center staff in 2012 as an intern, she said she came into a small organization with a lot of heart that made an impact, so long as funding came in. Oftentimes, it was a struggle.

On Wednesday evening, Lewis was left stunned when the Berrien Community Foundation announced that the Niles nonprofit at 620 Ferry St. received its Stephen E. Upton Love Your Community Endowment worth $25,000 with a potential $25,000 matching grant.

“We did it! We did it,” exclaimed Lewis, recalling her initial reactions. “I don’t even know how to explain it. It’s been a long time coming.”

Lewis is now the services coordinator for Ferry Street Resource Center and has built trust among many area residents that use the center. She helps those in need receive immediate services. Then, she helps them make sustainable choices and find employment through partnering programs, training sessions and organizations.

She said the grant will allow the nonprofit to stay open longer to continue to educational and life-enrichment programs.

As the roar of applause broke out for Ferry Street Resource Center at the Heritage Museum and Cultural Center in St. Joseph during the Berrien Community Foundation’s annual meeting, executive director Ric Pawloski, walked up to the podium to accept the award while Vicki Pawloski, his wife, wiped away tears.

“We’ve been bringing more and more resources to have more office hours at Ferry Street, and we’re seeing tremendous returns on that,” Pawloski said to the audience. “This investment is going to really, really make a difference in the community. I can’t thank you enough.”

As part of the evening’s music theme, the Pawloskis and Lewis tooted on kazoos to “For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow” with about 150 other people and watched a musical act from GhostLight Theatre’s production of “Urinetown.” They ate hors d’oeuvres, mingled and laughed, all the while unaware they were soon to be announced as the recipients of the grant.

“Our ability to do the things to help Niles and the surrounding community rests solely on the funding we are able to bring, and so we feel the pressure,” Ric said.

With the grant, some of that pressure will be released.

Pawloski became Ferry Street Resource Center’s director in November 2018, bringing a vision to help people live sustainable lives into the nonprofit, housed in a former one-room schoolhouse.

He said this mission was sometimes marred by the nonprofit’s own struggles to function sustainably. Financing projects and programs could be difficult, especially with a staff of two that ran a center open only 20 hours a week.

“He’s there to actually put our people where they need to be working, being able to pay their bills and not coming back every month,” Lewis said about Pawloski. “That won’t ever end, but he’s there to push them a little bit. He’s awesome.”

Pawloski and Lewis applied for the grant to bridge the gap between services that are difficult for southern Berrien County residents to access because of transportation issues, such as Friends of the Berrien County Court and Emergency Shelter Services. The grant will help bring those the resource center serves to those service providers or vice versa.

“One of my goals was to bring some more consistent and meaningful… funding to the center, so this is huge,” Pawloski said. “This will allow us to help others for quite some time and takes that burden off. Now, we can focus on the help we’re providing instead of how we’re going to raise the money to help.”

Last fiscal year, Ferry Street Resource Center received 2,400 individual requests for emergency services. This July and August, it had 310 unique individuals that came for help.

Now, Pawloski may be a step closer to reaching his goal for Ferry Street Resource Center.

“My goal, simply stated, is to put Ferry Street out of business because nobody needs the help that we’re providing,” he said.

The Stephen E. Upton Love Your Community Endowment was created four years ago by Steve and Elizabeth Upton, of St. Joseph. It is given to a nonprofit that addresses a crucial community need by making a positive impact in county residents’ lives.

Jeff Upton, son of Steve and Elizabeth, said he was amazed at Ferry Street Resource Center’s ability to provide so many services with so few staff, so few hours and a small budget. He said he and his family’s grant will provide a “shot” to the nonprofit’s arm.

“What they have accomplished is incredible with such a little amount,” he said. “This should allow them to grow, and we’re trying to hope that it is sustainable.”

Ferry Street Resource Center beat out 19 other nonprofits in the county that applied for the grant, three of which were fellow finalists. They were Bethany Christian Services, in Benton Harbor, Lory’s Place, in St. Joseph, and Southwest Michigan Planning Commission, in Benton Harbor.