Columbus business steps up after Contemporary Theatre of Ohio's grant money frozen
After hearing about this, the owners of a local business — The Kitchen — Jen Lindsey and Anne Boninsegna decided to donate money to the theatre themselves.
'We feel very connected to being able to give back to our community in any kind of way that we can,' Lindsey said. 'We have received such generous support through the time that we were doing our Kickstarter campaign to open. We fundamentally believe that you should be a good neighbor.'
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Lindsey expressed she and her business partner were filled with disappointment once they learned the Contemporary Theatre of Ohio's $10,000 grant from the NEA was frozen days before the opening of 'Fat Ham,' a show that had been planned for a year.
The executive director of the Contemporary Theatre of Ohio, Christy Farnbauch shared her surprise when she found out what The Kitchen owners wanted to do to help.
'She called me and said they wanted to do $10,000,' Farnbauch said. 'We were, we are so grateful for that support and, you know, it really speaks to the power of small business, particularly women-owned businesses. Complete surprise and gratitude. Just complete surprise and gratitude.'
The owners gave the same amount of money the theatre was set to receive from the grant, noting it was the least they could do because of all the support they have gotten from the community.
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On the last night of 'Fat Ham,' Farnbauch shared the news about the donation and said everyone was overwhelmed. Lindsey hopes this shines a light on the impact anyone can make if they do what they feel is right.
'I think the takeaway message is that you should, as a human, stand up and do what's right in your heart for what you feel to be your community and things that you find valuable to you,' Lindsey said. 'For us, arts and culture is a savior.'
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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