The Sewickley Valley Community Fund has awarded a little more than $10,000 in a second round of grants to local organizations helping others during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Three organizations — the Sewickley Community Center, the Sewickley Valley YMCA and the Union Aid Society — each received $3,500 to continue their efforts in helping people who have been affected by the pandemic.
John Poister, secretary for the SVCF, said the nonprofit received money from an anonymous resident in January who wanted them to continue to make grants available to people responding to covid-19.
The SVCF was able to able to award more than $40,000 to four organizations in the area last year who used the money to pay bills and buy certain items like disinfectants and food.
“We feel a responsibility to continue to use the generous response from the community to help people affected by the virus,” Poister said. “Since these agencies have programs directly aimed at helping the people who have been affected by (covid-19), we felt they were certainly a good place to begin this year with the grant.”
The Sewickley Community Center will use the $3,500 grant to stock its food pantry and the YMCA will use its money to stock its mini food pantries throughout the area and fund its Child Care and Educational Development Program.
Carla Nash, the executive director of the Union Aid Society, said they will use the grant to help pay expenses for clients whose main income has been cut or lost. Specifically, she said, helping out with paying mortgages and rent.
The Union Aid Society, headquartered in Sewickley’s borough building, is a nonprofit that since 1898 has helped families in the Quaker Valley School District in need of financial aid.
“This will help keep people in their homes,” she said. Nash said the money will help up to six families pay rent and, in some cases, utilities that are at risk of being shut off.
Nash said this $3,500 grant was the second covid-related funding the organization received. The first round of $10,000 was given last year and was used for the same purposes, she said.
Mark Genheimer, SVCF’s board president, said the organization was able to raise enough money during its fall fundraiser to be able to continue to support local agencies helping those in need during the covid-19 pandemic.
“We will continue to look for these types of funding opportunities for as long as necessary,” he said in a statement.
For more information on the Sewickley Valley Community Fund, visit sewickleyvcf.org.
