When the coronavirus pandemic forced businesses and restaurants to close, saw an increase in demand for nonprofit services and caused the previously employed to rush to the unemployment line, the impact it was going to create for the Monadnock region was clear.
And it was in the moment of unprecedented need that organizations like the Monadnock United Way rallied to do their part to help those navigate these times of uncertainty.
On March 17, the Monadnock United Way created the COVID-19 Relief Fund and the response from the community surpassed anything the organization expected, according to President Liz LaRose.
“This is indicative of the kind of place that we live,” LaRose said. “We had some really generous donors step up.”
As of last week, the Monadnock United Way’s COVID-19 Relief Fund raised more than $203,000 to assist its partners.
“These funds really helped not only keep the programs viable and running, it gave them the money to reach out to the people they work with who truly need it,” LaRose said.
Along the way, LaRose said some donors contributed funds that were earmarked for recovery efforts that will be needed after the initial weeks and months had passed and life starts to return to normal. Because as LaRose put it, there will be needs that arise.
“What are the needs going to be in the next six months, the next 12 months, 18 months, over the next two years?” she said.
Thanks to private donors and local organizations, the recovery fund has already surpassed $100,000 and all donations coming in during the rest of the year will be put into that fund so there is a substantial amount to help in the future.
“There are some concerns for the long term,” LaRose said. Some of which center around a second wave of COVID-19 and how that could impact various sectors across the region.
“This is for that rainy day,” LaRose said. “And this is the time to start thinking about that. What happens in 2021, 2022? That’s when it truly starts to get scary.”
And as long as there’s a need, LaRose said, funds will continue to be raised. She said the agencies partners have been “so thankful for the assistance that’s been coming.”
“When a crisis hits like this, it’s the response of our community to help those that need it,” LaRose said. “And our community rose to the occasion.”
With Monadnock United Way embarking on its annual campaign, LaRose said the need to reach its goal is more important than ever.
Seeing the relief fund grow to more than $200,000 in less than three months has been rewarding, LaRose said.
“Its been really incredible to watch the numbers grow,” LaRose said. “When this first started, no one knew what was going to happen with COVID, so we really had no expectations for what the actual figures would be.”
What really helped the relief fund grow was when local companies and organizations come forward with matching grants, the most recent being a $12,500 challenge by Hamblet Electric Charitable Foundation that raised $30,000 in a couple weeks.
“It inspires giving,” LaRose said of the challenges.
She said they were also the beneficiaries of grants, like one for $15,000 specifically meant to provide support for seniors. Local groups, like CVTC in Peterborough, got together to decide how to best use the funds.
LaRose said the coronavirus has “revealed inequalities in our community and systemic areas that really need to be addressed.”
“We have the ability to take this crisis and use it as an opportunity,” LaRose said. “To reimagine our community in a way that’s vibrant for every single person in it.”
For more about the fund, visit https://www.muw.org/covid-19-relief-fund.
On March 20, the NH Charitable Foundation announced the creation of the Community Crisis Action Fund. The fund was seeded with an initial allocation from existing Foundation resources, and as of Friday, the Community Crisis Action Fund has raised more than $3.6 million – in amounts ranging from $25 to $1 million – and awarded close to $7 million in grants.
“We didn’t have an original goal in mind, but we knew that when we are faced with a crisis there are so many generous people in New Hampshire,” said Kristen Oliveri, Vice President of Communications and Marketing. “And this is a tangible way they can help.”
The fund was started to provide immediate unrestricted grants to nonprofits around the state working on the front lines to reduce the pain and hardship from COVID-19, for strategic grants to help reduce the longer-term impact of COVID-19 on critical systems such as health care, emergency response, child care and food security, and support for local emergency funds.
“Even after they have addressed some of the public health issues they are going to be feeling this for a long time,” Oliveri said.
The NH Charitable Foundation also made the decision to immediately give out previously awarded operating grants that weren’t scheduled to be dispersed until the end of the year.
For more and to donate, visit https://www.nhcf.org/about-us/community-crisis-action-action-fund/.
In early May, MCH reported it saw a 60 percent drop in patient volume as the hospital shut down non-critical medical services to prepare to fight the COVID-19 outbreak.
According to a press release announcing furloughs of 100 employees – 20 percent of its staff – Monadnock Community Hospital reported it “lost $1.7 million, and the projected monthly loss over the next year is expected to fall between $3 million and $4 million per month or a total of $24 million by the end of our Fiscal Year ending September 30, 2020.”
In April, MCH launched its COVID-19 Fund to help bring in necessary funds to offset the tremendous losses.
“Since April, MCH has received 140 gifts to our COIVD-19 Fund totaling more than $77,000. This money helps the hospital to purchase ongoing protective supplies and equipment for our staff as we continue to care for the community during this pandemic. The community’s generosity has been a godsend given the significant monthly operating losses the hospital continues to experience and we are grateful for every gift,” said Laura Gingras, VP for Philanthropy and Community Relations.
For more, visit https://monadnockcommunityhospital.com/donate-covid-19-fund.
With declining ad revenue, but faced with the challenge of reporting all the stories affecting the local communities due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Ledger-Transcript launched the COVID-19 Local News Fund, a program administered by Local Media Foundation.
Through Monday, the fund had raised more than $16,500.
“We need our local paper for informed voting information, keeping a watchful eye on our town and now keeping us informed about COVID-19. Thank you,” said one anonymous donor.
To donate, visit https://www.ledgertranscript.com/.