West Marine Kicks of Month of Giving

West Marine’s annual Month of Giving fundraiser has begun, with the goal of raising money for its nonprofit BlueFuture program.

BlueFuture distributes thousands of dollars each year to nonprofit organizations that work to get children on the water through boating, fishing, paddling and marine science. Each grant is $1,500 with recipients determining how to best use the funds. Last year the program received more than 300 grant applications.

Each grant is $1,500 and it’s unrestricted, which means West Marine lets the recipient determine how the money should be used.