Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1254473
84 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 Hope in Trying Times As it Celebr ates 75 Year s, the Community Foundation for Monterey County Mobilizes for Pandemic Relief B Y R E N E E B R I N C K S I n mid March, as COVID-19 cases increased worldwide and California jurisdictions implemented shelter-in-place orders, the Community Foundation for Monterey County (CFMC) ramped up its emergency assistance efforts. Working with the Monterey Peninsula Foundation, CFMC staffers established the COVID-19 Relief Fund to sup- port housing, health, human services and educational programs for vulner- able residents. Within three weeks, as employees adjusted to new, pandemic-driven work-from-home protocols, the CFMC raised more than $1.8 million for the fund and distributed its first $935,000 in grants. And, those numbers continue to grow. In addition to helping Dorothy's Place, the Salvation Army, VNA and other organizations providing direct assistance to individ- uals and families in need, the CFMC has assembled an online resource library and launched webinars to help nonprofits navigate this unfamiliar landscape. "We started by focusing on the front lines. We want agencies to have adequate resources and supplies as they deal directly with affected pop- ulations," says Dan Baldwin, CFMC president and chief executive officer. "From there, we'll circle back to stabilization grants. We want to help alle- viate nonprofits' short- and long-term obstacles, so they can continue Photo: Richard Green CFMC staff at Casa Abrego, one of the historic Monterey adobes the foundation helped preserve from development. "We make grants to create healthy, safe, vibrant communities in Monterey County and beyond."