Two programs offered by a local literacy agency received a helping hand recently from the Dollar General Literacy Foundation.

The Learn-to-Read Council of Athens and Limestone County received two grants last week — one for $10,000 and another for $1,000. Rhonda Andrews, director of the organization, said the larger grant will be used for the adult program and the smaller grant will go toward the summer youth program.

The adult literacy program includes an English-as-a-second-language tutoring component and a computer learning lab if a tutor is not available.

“We try to find a tutor eventually or they can sit at the computer and learn some base knowledge,” Andrews said. “Dollar General was key in helping get that started.”

The summer youth program is for students who may be struggling in school and need to retain what they learned the previous year. She explained Dollar General’s Literacy Foundation has offered assistance to the Learn-to-Read Council of Athens and Limestone County for more than 15 years.

“They’ve been very instrumental (to our programs),” Andrews said. “I love their attitude toward literacy.”

The $11,000 provided to the Learn-to-Read Council was part of more than $205,000 awarded to schools, nonprofit organizations and literacy organizations in Alabama. The Dollar General Literacy Foundation has a goal of supporting adult, family and summer literacy programs within a 20-mile radius of a Dollar General store or distribution center across the chain’s 44-state service area.

The foundation estimated the grants would impact the lives of more than $28,000 Alabamians.

“In keeping with Dollar General’s mission of ‘Serving Others,’ we are excited to provide grants to support literacy and education initiatives in the communities we proudly call home,” said Todd Vasos, Dollar General’s CEO and Dollar General Literacy Foundation board member. “Each year, funds provided by the Dollar General Literacy Foundation make a real difference by providing the tools that students, adults and families need to pursue new opportunities and accomplish their goals. We believe these programs empower the communities we serve, and we are honored to play a role in their success.”

Statewide grants are part of more than $8.3 million awarded by the foundation. A comprehensive list can be found at www.dgliteracy.org.