2020 Recovery Fund closes

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SIDNEY — The 2020 Recovery Fund, created to assist local organizations with serving their clients during the pandemic, has issued its final grants and closed. More than $84,000 was donated to the fund by local organization and individuals since it opened last March. Sixteen organizations received grants.

The Community Foundation of Shelby County and the Shelby County United Way partnered to create the fund, each organization providing an initial $10,000.

“We are grateful for the community’s quick response to give when the 2020 Recovery Fund was created. It was a new experience for us to provide emergency, rapid funding,” said Marian Spicer, Community Foundation executive director. “The early months of the pandemic brought new challenges to organizations as they tried to continue serving their constituents. The Fund gave us a way to help them with new needs for things like sanitizers and increased needs for things such as food and diapers.

“We assembled a diverse group of volunteers who met via Zoom to oversee the Fund, discuss needs and recommend grants to local organizations,” said Scott Barr, president and CEO of the Shelby County United Way. “Our focus was on supporting those things that allowed some schools and organizations to reopen or comply with regulations to stay open. At this point, organizations have adjusted or received other financial support and the 2020 Recovery Fund is no longer needed.”

Grants were awarded to Agape Distribution for cereal and grocery bags, Alpha Community Center for carry out containers, Bridges Community Action Partnership to support expenses such as rent and utilities for local families on the verge of homelessness, Lehman Catholic High School for a mobile food warmer and plastic silverware, Midwest Regional ESC for items supporting students and staff at the Opportunity School and county schools, New Choices for a UV steamless vacuum, Ohio Living Dorothy Love for 14 air purifiers, Random Acts of Christian Kindness for rent and utility support for single-parent families.

Grants also went to Right to Life of Shelby County for diapers and baby supplies, Rustic Hope for diapers, SafeHaven for storage containers for delivered meals, Salvation Army to replace a freezer for their food pantry, Samaritan Works to host in-house counseling sessions, Senior Center of Sidney-Shelby County for hand sanitizers and PPE, Sidney-Shelby County YMCA for electro static sprayers and Wilson Health Foundation for four portable air-cleaning units.

A complete listing of grants is found on the Community Foundation of Shelby County website at commfoun.com.

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