The i know expo and its Community Partners — Sanders Brown Center for Aging, the Mayor’s Commission for Citizens for Disabilities, the Area for Aging and Independent Living and ITNBluegrass — wish to thank this year’s sponsors for supporting the expo which was held April 3.

Sponsors of the event include: UKHealthCare, AARP, Kentucky Department of Aging and Independent Living, McClelland and Associates and The Lafayette & Lexington Country Place.

Twenty percent of each sponsorship dollar went into the Blue Grass Community Foundation i know expo fund. Two excellent organizations were nominated by our two top sponsors, UKHealthCare and AARP, to receive those dollars.

God’s Pantry Food Bank was once again nominated by AARP. The food bank requested funds to support Fayette County Pantry Program, specifically to purchase food.

This year, the food bank did not receive funding through the main LFUCG social services funding process and it is looking for ways to adequately fund its work without cutting services. The food cost is $130,000 for Fayette County with donations only providing10 percent of the cost. God’s Pantry serves many grandparents raising grandchildren, under-employed senior citizens and seniors who wish to retire but cannot.

The Alzheimer’s Association, Greater Kentucky and Southern Indiana Chapter, was the second nominee. The organization asked for funding for their program to raise awareness among healthcare providers by delivering “Packets of Hope” in two visits. Each packet includes comprehensive information about the disease, resources including 24-hour helpline, interactive website, and local classes. The grant money would fund production and delivery of packages.

The total amount collected and donated for the fund this year was $4,000. Of that, the first 20 percent – or $800 ‑ automatically goes to the i know expo’s initial non-profit sponsor, ITNBluegrass (Independent Transportation Network), dignified transportation for seniors.

Community Partners and i know expo founder Gale Reece voted God’s Pantry Food Bank as this year’s award recipient. God’s Pantry will be presented with $3,200.

“Congratulations to both nominees for the excellent work they do in Kentucky to better the lives of those dealing with aging issues,” Reece said.

The award was presented May 17.