News from the Chicago Community Covid-19 Response Fund
Dear friends,
Thanks to amazing donors like you, the Chicago Community COVID-19 Response Fund has been able to support more than 285 organizations around the region with more than $18 million in grants. You’re making a difference!
We wanted to share a glimpse of how your contributions are having an impact in our communities. The Response Fund has supported a range of nonprofits, from large organizations with a wide reach such as the Greater Chicago Food Depository and Catholic Charities, to smaller hyper-local organizations with expertise serving particular populations. Below are some examples of how the fund is helping people in communities throughout our region. With increasing unemployment and financial instability, their efforts to provide families with food, supplies and direct cash assistance are critical.
The first two weeks of May, El Hogar del Nino provided 39 families with $400 each in direct cash assistance. All of the adults in these families have lost their jobs due to COVID-19 and need help to pay rent and utility bills. Working in partnership with Cradles to Crayons, El Hogar del Nino is also delivering diapers and formula to families in need.
In just one month, Beyond Hunger, located in Oak Park, served 51,500 meals. The organization has set up a drive-thru window where vulnerable neighbors can pick up fresh produce, meat and pantry staples. Meanwhile, Beyond Hunger’s home delivery program to homebound seniors and adults has tripled during the pandemic.
R.A.G.E. (Resident Association of Greater Englewood) is a community hub meeting a variety of needs. This includes dropping off groceries to more than 100 families and making wellness calls to more than 300 in a matter of days. That same week, in partnership with Family Independence Initiative, Chicago, the City of Chicago and Illinois Cash Coalition, R.A.G.E deployed $10,000 to 20 families that lost their incomes due to the crisis.
Casa Central , a community hub in Humboldt Park, is providing a range of services. The organization is supporting learning and development by guiding children (ages 2-5) and their families through a variety of learning activities, including a neighborhood scavenger hunt. It has responded to an increased need for in-home services during these difficult times and supported more than 1,000 seniors. Casa Central is also providing free clinical services, case management, referrals, and advocacy to survivors of domestic violence and young children impacted by violence and trauma via a telehealth platform.
To date, the Response Fund has raised over $32 million. We continue to be awed and inspired by your generosity. At the same time, we are humbled by the growing need. While we are proud of the 194 grants we made in the most recent cycle, we are acutely aware that more than 735 organizations applied for funding. And, we expect the need will continue to grow.
Please consider making a contribution today.
Sincerely,
Helene Gayle
President & CEO
The Chicago Community Trust / www.cct.org
225 N Michigan Ave Suite 2200 Chicago, IL, 60601