The board of directors of the United Way of Clark, Champaign & Madison Counties announced the creation of the Clark Champaign Madison COVID-19 Community Fund to support individuals and families affected by the impact of the coronavirus. Donations are being accepted to meet the increased needs communities face as a result of COVID-19.
Steven McCready, president of the board, said, “COVID-19 is not only a health crisis, but an economic crisis as well. The steps our communities have taken and will take for the foreseeable future in response to the health crisis will undoubtedly leave a significant number of our most vulnerable population unable to meet their basic needs. This unprecedented need for services will leave many of our nonprofit agencies without the financial resources to meet the anticipated demand.”
There are many national and global opportunities to donate, but the trickle-down effect of such donations is often slow or fails to significantly impact local communities, according to a United Way news release.
The Clark Champaign Madison COVID-19 Community Fund has been established to ensure that every dollar donated remains in the three counties. As with every gift to United Way of Clark, Champaign & Madison Counties, every dollar given stays within the county from which the donation was received or designated by the donor.
Kerry Lee Pedraza, executive director, says, “It is unclear as to what the needs for our communities will be over the course of the next few months, but what we do know is that our first priority is to assist our Foodbanks/Food Pantries in feeding the hungry and to ensure that the homeless have appropriate shelter. For this reason, as dollars are donated and received by the fund, they will be distributed to such agencies as Second Harvest Foodbank, Interfaith Hospitality, Caring Kitchen (Clark, Champaign), Help House, Good Samaritan Food Pantry and Bridges Community Action (Madison.)”
Della Selsor Trust is making a lead gift of $10,000 to the fund. Any organization or business interested in joining the Della Selsor Trust should contact Kerry Pedraza at 937-324-5541. Others interested in making an online donation may do so through https://www.uwccmc.org/covid-19-community-fund or send a check to Clark Champaign Madison COVID-19 Community Fund, c/o United Way, PO Box 59, Springfield, OH 45501-0059. If desired, designate a county to receive the gift. All donations are tax-deductible. All funds received by the fund will be distributed to the counties without any allocation for administrative overhead.
Pedraza also states, “It is not just financial resources that are needed at this time. Our communities are in desperate need of volunteers. With increased financial needs and the direction for vulnerable populations to refrain from being out in the public, a significant void has been left. For those in our community that are able and willing to give of their time, volunteer opportunities for all three counties are listed at https://www.uwccmc.org/volunteer.”
