What We Do
Programs Built for
Every Form of Literacy
🍽 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.
In 2024, we served 75 families. Our 2025 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 via Microsoft Teams. In 2024, we offered ESL classes to adult learners across the Columbus metro. Literacy Bridge is being reactivated in 2025 with a dedicated instructor and a regular weekly schedule.
Our multilingual congregation at Agape International Cathedral is our primary constituent pipeline for this program, supported by community outreach to non-native English speakers across Columbus.
Volunteer as ESL Instructor💻 DigiReady
Microsoft-powered digital literacy workshops for community members who need foundational technology skills. Computer basics, Microsoft 365, job readiness, and Copilot-assisted writing tools — delivered using our enterprise nonprofit technology stack.
DigiReady is the only program of its kind in Columbus offering enterprise-level Microsoft tooling to community learners through a nonprofit. The Foundation's Microsoft grant makes this possible.
Express InterestSee our full program impact.
Chillicothe. Thanksgiving. Mid-Ohio Food Bank. It all started here.