Twenty-five nonprofits located throughout southern New Jersey have been awarded $222,000 in funding as part of the Community Foundation of South Jersey (CFSJ)’s COVID-19 Response Fund. To date, $322,000 has been awarded from the Fund for organizations serving Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, Ocean, and Salem counties.
The South Jersey COVID-19 Response Fund is the only such effort focused solely on the eight-county southern New Jersey region. It was established to deploy flexible grant dollars to nonprofits helping South Jersey neighbors affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The stories of these organizations adapting to meet the needs of their neighbors and communities under stressful conditions with limited resources are both inspiring and sobering,” said CFSJ Executive Director Andy Fraizer. “Our hope is that this funding provides much-needed relief in their continued efforts to serve vulnerable individuals impacted by the health, social, and economic consequences of the pandemic.”
The Fund is providing grants in multiple areas based on three categories.
Phase one: Triage – Support for organization meeting the immediate basic needs of our South Jersey neighbors.
Phase two: Treatment – Support for organizations modifying their service delivery methods so South Jersey residents don’t lose access to critical health, human and social services.
Phase three: Recovery – support for organizations that had to shut down operations, let go of staff, or lost income due to postponed and canceled events because of COVID-19.
“This round of grants continues our commitment to partner with nonprofit partners making a difference on the front-lines,” said Wanda Hardy, chairperson of the Foundation’s Community Leadership and Engagement Committee. “The generous outpouring of support received from donors, large and small, is a heartwarming sign of hope. Our South Jersey community cares.”
For more details on making donations, funding priorities, and how to apply, visit southjerseyresponsefund.org.
Vineland nonprofits number four of the 25 grants awarded in this round:
• Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Cumberland & Salem Counties is adapting to match and train mentors virtually, so they can provide mentoring activities remotely.
• Inspira Health Foundation, is providing emergency financial support to employees facing unexpected expenses as a result of COVID-19 exposure, subsidizing elder care and child care for employees who are needed in the hospitals and providing additional compensation for health workers in high demand who have made themselves available to address the surge of patients.
• Puerto Rican Action Committee of Southern NJ, is providing case management, information, referrals, and assistance to South Jersey neighbors applying for unemployment insurance benefits, SNAP, government-subsidized health insurance, and to purchase personal protective equipment for staff when in-person support is unavoidable.
• Vineland Soup Kitchen (a partner of the Community Food Bank of NJ), is providing food, personal care items, and personal protection items to low-income, food-insecure and homeless neighbors throughout Cumberland County.
