The Community Foundation of the Valleys announced it has begun to distribute grants within the local community from their COVID-19 Response Fund, but is seeking additional support to reach an initial fundraising goal.

As of Monday, the nonprofit organization was $45,000 away from hitting a $150,000 goal. 

Santa Clarita Grocery was among those to work with the Community Foundation of the Valleys.

“We are continuing to raise funds toward our $150,000 goal,” said Brigette Loden, executive director of the foundation. “But in the meantime, we know how important it is for nonprofits to get these unrestricted funds as quickly as possible.”

With a generous matching gift of $50,000 from the Wolf Family Foundation and a grant of $50,000 from the Weingart Foundation, the Community Foundation of the Valleys (CFV) is soliciting donations from individuals, businesses and other foundations to raise another $50,000 or more for a combined total in excess of $150,000.

Tamara Gurney, Chair of the Community Foundation board of directors and CEO of Mission Valley Bank stated, “Every day, we are hearing about charities that are limited in their capacity to provide vital services to our neighbors in need because of a lack of operating revenue. We want them to know that the Foundation is here to support them.”

Hope of the Valley Rescue Mission has been opening additional shelters at local recreation centers for residents who lack housing. For those who are most vulnerable to COVID-19, the Mission is partnering with the City of LA to offer trailers where homeless seniors and others can shelter in place.

Santa Clarita Grocery Food Bank, a 100 percent volunteer-run organization, has moved to a drive-through distribution format, and expanded its operations to include hours focused on low-income senior citizens. They are also working with local schools to identify families who are unemployed and in need of additional food and other resources.

“I’ve lived in the Santa Clarita Valley for 30 years, so it’s in my heart and soul, I know Santa Clarita Grocery, they’re boots on the ground and volunteer driven,” Loden said. “They were a natural fit when we wanted to work on homelessness, food banks, layoff aversion.”

The pandemic has impacted the organization’s ability to conduct food drives, leading them to rely more heavily on financial donations to keep the shelves stocked.

“Normally when an organization goes for a grant it takes months and months to get the money and we’re hoping to do this in four to eight weeks max, because we know they need the money,” Loden said.

The Valley Economic Alliance has ramped up its small business assistance program through webinars and one-on-one consulting, and has access to lay-off aversion and other government programs that could help sustain entrepreneurs and other companies.

Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, the food bank has switched to a drive-thru pickup model with special dates and times for seniors.

In addition to their work with Santa Clarita Grocery, Hope of the Valley and The Valley Economic Alliance were among those to receive assistance from the Community Foundation of the Valleys.

Hope of the Valley has been able to open four new shelters in North Hollywood, Granada Hills, Northridge and Woodland Hills. 

They’ve also started to move the most vulnerable homeless individuals, typically those 65 or older, into isolation by placing them in city-supplied trailers where they can shelter in place.

The Valley Economic Alliance is providing service to small businesses during the coronavirus pandemic, particularly in relation to financial opportunities through avenues such as the Small Business Administration and the CARE Act as well as a number of program to assist workers.

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