Harvey Meissner presents a donation to the staff and volunteers of A Taste of Hope
Anthony Bobrow Trust donations near $1.9M
From Staff Reports
Since the Anthony Bobrow Trust announced its first donations in 2018, the trust has handed out nearly $1.9 to organizations in the LGBTQ and HIV/AIDS communities, co-trustee Harvey Meissner has announced. That includes the trust’s most recent gifts of $75,000 each to AIN, Legacy Cares and Taste of Hope.
“Smaller donations were made earlier, and $100,000 more is pledged for the rest of the year,” said Meissner, who is also president and general manager of The Hidden Door, the bar that Bobrow owned and net profits of which are pledged to the Bobrow Trust. The Hidden Door will celebrate its 43rd anniversary in December of this year.
Harvey Meissner presents a donation to Executive Director Melissa Grove and the staff of Legacy Cares
AIN, formerly known as AIDS Interfaith Network, was founded in 1986 to educate the faith community about HIV/AIDS and secure a more compassionate response from churches in North Texas for those affected by HIV/AIDS. By 1988, the organization had incorporated as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and had begun to expand its services to encompass education, outreach, prevention and client advocacy.
Legacy Cares was founded more than 25 years ago as Legacy Counseling Center and was focused on providing mental healthcare, substance abuse treatment and, through the Legacy Founders Cottage, hospice care for people with HIV/AIDS in the last days of their lives. Legacy, too, has expanded its services over the years, with more housing services and the Grace Project, which is focused on services for women with HIV/AIDS. Legacy changed its name last year to Legacy Cares to more accurately describe its range of programs.
Taste of Hope is a program of Cathedral of Hope United Church of Christ church, one of the largest churches in the world with a primarily LGBTQ congregation. Taste of Hope focuses on bringing hope to the homeless by connecting with them “in a dignified, respectful manner,” beginning with providing them with a meal “similar to what we would serve guests at our home.”
Harvey Meissner presents a donation to President and CEO Steven Pace and the staff of AIN
Meissner said that the Bobrow Trust begins each year with a budget,” but every year, needs arise that we believe are critical. During the worst of the COVID years we increased spending to help.
“Tony Bobrow left his entire estate to make life better for the people he cared about. The non-profits we support are ‘boots on the ground,’ making a difference in lives every day.”
Meissner said that the trust’s donations are unrestricted, which means that each organization can use the funds however they need to rather than just on specific programs.
“In 2018 we had no idea numbers like this were achievable,” Meissner continued. “Although Tony left his Trust well-funded, it’s the Hidden Door customers who make much of this possible. To them goes the credit and thanks for helping continue these donations.”
Meissner noted that the Bobrow Trust is not a nonprofit and therefore does not file public tax returns with the IRS. He noted that while the state of Texas estimates that trust management costs usually run from about 1 percent to 1.5 percent of total assets annually, management costs for the Bobrow Trust “are a very tiny fraction of 1 percent.”
