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LeRoy is one of several communities to have received paint for a community initiative through the Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation (SMIF) as part of its Pain the Town Grant Program.

The City of LeRoy received four gallons of paint for a mural as part of the LeRoy Pocket Park. The community received a $10,000 grant in November for the park through another SMIF program — the Small Town Grant Program.

In total, just over 359 gallons of paint were awarded to Minnesota communities across SMIF’s 20-county region as part of the project. The program covers projects in those communities with 10,000 or less people, will have a visual impact, provide benefit to the community and will involve volunteer participation.

“Each year, I am delighted to see the creativity of small-town communities,” said Tim Penny, SMIF president and CEO. “It warms my heart to see people work together to enrich the places they call home.”

 Since 1997, SMIF has helped distribute more than 11,314 gallons of paint to 337 projects in the region through various programs. The Paint the Town Grant program was officially launched in 2015.