Thanks to the overwhelming generosity of donors, organizations and businesses inside and outside the community, CFSC’s Resilience Fund has grown to over $4 million, and has allowed the Foundation to make emergency grants to 11 local nonprofits. The funds will help strengthen and stabilize the organizations as they play a key role in assisting fire victims with mid- to long-term recovery and rebuilding.
“The local agencies that make up the fabric of our nonprofit community already support thousands of Sonoma County’s most vulnerable people. Nearly overnight, the need and the number of people on the brink has skyrocketed. As a Community Foundation, it is our job to help support and sustain those agencies; these initial grants are the first step in what we know will be a much longer period of rebuilding.” Elizabeth Brown, President & CEO, Community Foundation Sonoma County.
To date, CFSC has given out $300,000 in stabilizing grants to the following nonprofit organizations: 4C’s (Community Childcare Council), California Human Development, Catholic Charities, Ceres Community Project, Community Action Partnership, La Luz, Petaluma People Services Center, Redwood Empire Food Bank, Sonoma Humane Society, UndocuFund for Fire Relief, Volunteer Center of Sonoma County.
“We have had hundreds of phone calls from people in the Spanish-speaking community who have lost their jobs when the vineyards burned, or who have lost homes and need help to access services. For our undocumented community, there has been an added level of fear of not knowing whether it is safe to seek help. This grant has helped La Luz serve as translators, and navigators during this time.” Juan Hernandez, Executive Director, La Luz.
“At Ceres we know first-hand that food heals and we are committed to being part of the healing for the families who have lost their homes or been impacted by the fires. We mobilized to prepare 400 to 500 warm, nourishing meals each day for families and first responders. This funding from CFSC allowed us to move quickly and confidently to begin immediately supporting those impacted by the Sonoma County fires.” Cathryn Couch, Executive Director, Ceres Community Project.
CFSC’s grantmaking expertise and local networks are vital in ensuring that donations to the Sonoma County Resilience Fund will be put to use where they are most urgently needed, now and in the future.
