The coronavirus pandemic has left the Johnson County community in crisis.
Thousands of people have lost their jobs, families are in need of food, and those who were struggling before the virus shut down essentially everything are hurting even more.
Local nonprofits have shouldered the burden of helping people in need, even as those organizations have been deeply impacted by the disease. With the help of the Johnson County Community Foundation, they will have additional support to serve even more people.
The community foundation announced a round of emergency response grants Friday, distributing $35,000 to seven agencies that serve Johnson County residents. The Edinburgh Ministerial Association, Children’s Bureau, Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana, Interchurch Food Pantry, KIC-IT, The Refuge and the Salvation Army Red Shield Center each received $5,000 from a fund established to address the damage done by COVID-19.
“The grants above and those forthcoming are because Johnson County residents and businesses are watching out for each other during this crisis,” said Bob Romack, chair of the Johnson County Community Foundation board.
In March, the community foundation announced a partnership with the United Way of Johnson County to provide support to those hit hardest by the coronavirus crisis. The organizations sent surveys out to county nonprofits to get a sense of the greatest needs those agencies were facing.
Food insecurity stood out as the most immediate need, said Gail Richards, CEO and president of the Johnson County Community Foundation.
"The need for food was growing. We were contacted by some of these organizations who said that their need quadrupled," she said.
Applications were sent out to all of the organizations who were addressing food supplies or distributing food to the community. All of the groups chosen for the initial round of emergency grants help feed the community. With those organizations facing a surge in requests for help, it made sense to provide them with additional funding to help carry the load, Richards said.
When it became clear in mid-March that the COVID-19 outbreak was going to strain the community’s support systems, the Johnson County Community Foundation formed an emergency fund. The foundation’s board initially allocated $50,000 to it. Local donors also contributed to the fund, including Franklin-based power company JCREMC, which used its Operation Round-Up community fund to contribute $25,000. Greenwood-based Endress+Hauser USA also donated $4,000 to the effort.
People can donate to the fund themselves at www.jccf.org/give.
This initial round of grants will be followed by additional allocations as other community needs become evident, Richards said.
"We’re trying to be deliberate about it, and slowly move things out so we support the things that need it right now, but don’t overextend," Richards said.
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COVID-19 Emergency Response Grants
Who: The Johnson County Community Foundation
What: Special funding allocated by the foundation to meet community needs during the coronavirus crisis
How much: Seven organizations were awarded $5,000 each, for a total of $35,000.
Recipients:
- Edinburgh Ministerial Association / Edinburgh Food Pantry
- Children’s Bureau
- Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana
- Interchurch Food Pantry of Johnson County
- KIC-IT
- The Refuge
- The Salvation Army Red Shield Center
Information and how to donated to the emergency fund: www.jccf.org/give
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