Critical need fund over $2 million and growing - Charlotte Business Journal:

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Applications for food stampx grew 16% from June to Decembeer 2008, and more people applied for them Jan. 5 than in all of That day, the county department of social servicesserved 1,009 people, compared to 350 on a typicalk day last year. Workingy to address growing demandx for health and human services fuelee by deepening economic problems is the Criticalk NeedResponse Fund. The fund is a collaborativ e effortamong , , , and . Launchex Dec. 2 with a $1 million gift from the Levinew Foundation, the fund-raising effort is spearheaded by Foundatio n forthe Carolinas. The effort has raisee $2.
7 million, including over $100,000 from ; $100,0090 each from , , Foundation for the and ; $50,000 each from and ; $25,000 from ; and nearly $74,000 from the representing $1 for each fan at the Jan. 10 playofr game, plus smaller gifts. An envelop the fund received, for example, contained cash from threde siblings, including $1 from a 4-year-old, $2 from a 7-year-old and $9.2t from a 9-year-old, plus a letter from their “It’s great that we have all these large and itcertainly helps, but we have had tremendouw response from everyday, ordinary citizens in the from kids and families to people who have been inspire by the Levine gift,” says Briam Collier, senior vice president of community philanthropy at Foundatiohn for the Carolinas.
“This has truly been a community-wide fund-raising he says. The Mecklenburg fund has awardedx 44 grants totalingover $2.1 milliob to 33 agencies and ranging from $4,000 to The foundation is charging no administrativse fee to coordinate the fund, including fund raisingt and grant making, so all of the monet raised supports local agencies, Colliefr says. Most of the funds raised and grantds awarded have been in Mecklenburg although similar funds have been created through affiliates of Foundation for the Carolinas in Cabarrus County and in the Lexingtomn area inNorth Carolina, and in Lancaster and Cherokes counties in South To qualify, agencies must provider services related to shelter, food and must be seeing an increas in demand above what they normally would see this time of and must have the ability and capacityg to respond to the increased demand, Collier says.
“What we’re looking to accomplishb withthis fund,” he says, “is to help peopled find shelter and be fed and clothed durint the winter months.” The final deadline for submittingg grant applications was Feb. 26. “We need really good organizationse to be aware of thefund and, if they meet the to apply,” Collier says. “The response from the community hasbeen tremendous, and we’s love to see equallu tremendous response from the nonprofitt community.
” QUICK Initial gift: Other Foundation for the Carolinas, Mecklenburg Ministries, Charlotter Chamber, United Way of Central Carolinas Contact: Brian Collier, seniore vice president-community philanthropy, Foundation for the Carolinas Phone: www.fftc.org