What We Do
Programs Built for
Every Form of Literacy
Reading, writing, digital access, language access, and family support are connected. Our programs meet people at those intersections so literacy can become confidence, authorship, and practical access.
🍽 Community Table
Our flagship community service program. Each year, J Merrill Foundation partners with the Byron Saunders Foundation to provide a full Thanksgiving meal to families across Columbus, Ohio.
We have grown from 25 families in 2023 to 50 in 2024 and 75 in 2025. Our 2026 goal is 150 families. Every family receiving a meal also receives literacy resources — a book, a reading guide, or access to our Story Hour library.
Program Details
Program Details
🌐 Literacy Bridge
English as a Second Language instruction delivered virtually for adult learners across the Columbus metro. We offered ESL classes in 2024, and Literacy Bridge is being relaunched in 2026 with a dedicated instructor and a regular weekly schedule.
Our relationship with Agape International Cathedral helps connect this program with multilingual community members, alongside broader outreach to non-native English speakers across Columbus.
Volunteer as ESL Instructor💻 DigiReady
Digital literacy workshops for community members who need confidence with everyday technology. Computer basics, common productivity tools, job readiness, online forms, and practical digital independence are the heart of the program.
DigiReady is being designed to give community learners patient, practical support with the tools many jobs, schools, and public services now expect people to use.
Express InterestSee our full program impact.
Chillicothe. Thanksgiving. Mid-Ohio Food Bank. It all started here.