5 Fresno businesses set up $500,000 fund to encourage donations amid coronavirus
Five members of Fresno’s business community have each donated to a $500,000 matching fund attempting to prop up local nonprofits hurt by the coronavirus, Mayor-elect Jerry Dyer said on Thursday.
Money donated to www.givehelpnow.org between April 2 and 30 will be matched by the half-million-dollar fund set up by the anonymous donors, Dyer said during a news conference at the Central California Food Bank warehouse.
Federal money may be coming to support nonprofits like the Food Bank, Poverello House, Marjaree Mason Center and Fresno Rescue Mission but it could be summer before support is available.
The fundraising campaign is an effort to tide the nonprofits over in the meantime.
“Not only have the demands for their service increased dramatically, but their ability to raise funds have been severely hindered as a result of the restrictions placed on them due to the COVID-19 outbreak,” Dyer said.
Nonprofit leaders say they are receiving double or triple the amount of requests for help and are seeing many new faces.
Nonessential businesses across Fresno County have been ordered to close, leading to layoffs or fewer hours than normal for many residents. The exact number of layoffs is not immediately clear.
A Sacramento Bee analysis of a recent Economic Policy Institute study indicates the five-county region of Fresno, Kings, Madera, Merced and Tulare counties could see job losses in the private-sector climb to more than 55,000. That’s a rate of 11% to 12% of employment based on levels in 2019.
Community Foundation supports nonprofits
The Give Help Now effort is the second major one announced this week aimed at supporting nonprofits. On Tuesday, the Central Valley Community Foundation said more than $500,000 had been raised through its COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund for the first 12 grants that will be given to Central Valley nonprofits responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. These non-competitive grants are focused on three critical areas: food security, support for healthcare workers and coordinated communications strategies.
The Central Valley Community Foundation also is supporting two efforts to provide Personal Protection Equipment to area healthcare workers.
The first effort will produce 2,000 volunteer-made masks. On Thursday, 20 volunteers were set to receive training and a kit to make the masks with materials donated by Kiki’s Quilt Shack. HandsOnCentral California will deliver additional kits to volunteers 55-years old and older who cannot leave their homes. Others kits can be picked up at Kiki’s Quilt Shack, to take home to sew and return later.
Kiki’s Quilt Shack created its own pattern and is donating supplies for the 2,000 masks.
Additionally, the foundation directly purchased 30,000 masks that will be donated and delivered to local health clinics early next week. It also is funding the production of up to 500 face shields for emergency room workers, through the local engineering firm the Pi Shop.
