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Oregon Community Foundation Awards $19.8 Million for COVID Relief

In Portland's Old Town neighborhood, Sisters of the Road Café provides area-sourced meals plus opportunities for the homeless. They have seen an increase in costs due to COVID-19 in order to continue serving their community in the safest way possible. To comply with restrictions, Sisters must maintain a supply of 200-300 to-go meal boxes and serving ware daily. There is also the expense of extra equipment including hand washing stations, hand soap, hand sanitizers, cleaner, dumpsters, extra gloves, and face masks. An Oregon Community Recovery grant helps Sisters to meet their Hot Meals Barter Program expense and dedicate funds to unforeseen costs during the pandemic. Learn more: sistersoftheroad.org/

Portland, OR. As of June 5th, the Oregon Community Foundation (OCF) has offered $19.8 million in grants to 773 different nonprofits. $15 million has been contributed for relief since the start of the pandemic. 481 people have stepped forward recently to donate; here’s a link to the list of donors.

Organizations like the Sisters of the Road Café (pictured above) in Portland’s Old Town neighborhood, provide area-sourced meals plus opportunities for the homeless. They have seen an increase in costs due to COVID-19 in order to continue serving their community in the safest way possible. An Oregon Community Recovery grant helps Sisters to meet their Hot Meals Barter Program expense and dedicate funds to unforeseen costs during the pandemic.

In collaboration with a large network of statewide partners, OCF is mobilizing resources through discretionary dollars, donor-advised funds and pooled community funds.

Here’s a video about the fundraising efforts of the Oregon Community Fund.

With input from a network of volunteers, community leaders and partners, OCF is deploying funding and resources to nonprofits to help them fill gaps in funding during the crisis, providing resources where and when they are critically needed, focusing most on Oregon’s most vulnerable populations. Organization leaders say, “Demand for funding has been high, and our team is reviewing applications as quickly as possible. Grants are announced each week.”

Portland Refugee Support Group (PRSG) provides bags of food, household supplies and WinCo gift cards to more than 100 refugee families in the Portland metro community. An Oregon Community Recovery grant is helping the PRSG assist refugee families with emergent needs.

In addition, OCF donors also continue to award COVID-related grants from donor-advised funds, and Supporting Organizations of OCF continue to support organizations in their COVID-related needs. Here’s a link to the list of the organizations which have received help.

If you’re interested in donating to help with COVID relief programs, here’s a link: https://oregoncf.org/covid/give/

About Oregon Community Foundation:

Oregon Community Foundation puts donated money to work in Oregon. Since 1973, OCF grantmaking, research, advocacy and community-advised solutions have helped individuals, families, businesses and organizations create charitable funds to improve lives for all Oregonians.

Elisa Klein

I’ve been a professional journalist and writer since 1987, (and long-time reporter for KOIN-TV.) As a nationally published reporter, with a Master’s Degree in Journalism, I love to report positive news and information. Journalism has also connected me with another non-profit where I served as a leader; the Northwest’s biggest writer’s organization: The Willamette Writers.