Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1254473
Community Foundation for Monterey County helps organizations like the food bank recognize and address those needs." Current CFMC board member Michael Reid got involved with the foun- dation after an unsheltered woman alert- ed him to her counterparts sleeping on beaches and under bridges. Though many of the women worked locally, job losses, medical bills and other challenges limited their housing options. With CFMC insight and seed money collected through a photo exhibition, Reid and some colleagues launched the Fund for Homeless Women. Together, they've raised more than $1.5 million for services and shelter since 2012. "The Community Foundation for Monterey County is not just an endow- ment. It starts and sustains programs that help community members, and each con- tribution is multiplied more than an indi- vidual one might be," says Reid. Maximizing contributions now mat- ters even more, as communities address immediate coronavirus impacts. "We're all affected by this in some way. If people want to help but don't know how, our COVID-19 relief fund directs where the need is greatest. And if people have another favorite nonprofit, no mat- ter what it is, I just encourage them to give," says Baldwin. "This is a time when philanthropy can fill a lot of very impor- tant gaps." To support Community Foundation for Monterey County initiatives and for more information, please visit www.cfmco.org. The foundation helped preserve open space, including a parcel on Pescadero Point, shown here in the Annual Report, circa 1970. Photo: Courtesy of Community Foundation for Monterey County 88 C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • S P R I N G / S U M M E R 2 0 2 0 Photo: Richard Green The foundation granted more than $2 million in the first 2 months from its COVID-19 Relief Fund to nonprofits helping vulnerable residents in response to the pandemic, including food distribution at the Salvation Army in Monterey and Salinas.