These last few months have been horrific! We started with Covid-19 which resulted in 13 deaths in Napa County(to date). The pandemic threw our economy into the tank, and there are literally millions of people out of work, worrying about how to pay the rent or put food on the table. Then we had Wildland Fires, which led to loss of property and lives. In turn, the Fires also gave us air pollution that turned the sky red!
We can all work to do our part; and we have. The Kiwanis Club stepped up and redefined their Food Pantry operations from a once-a-year event into a weekly food distribution program. The Napa Valley Community Foundation (NVCF) set up funds to provide relief for Covid-19 victims, including rental assistance. Then they set up a fund for the wildfire victims. Meanwhile, our own American Canyon CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) went into action, as they always do, and provided support for everything, from animal protection to fresh water distribution, to wellness checks.
We do have a good network to help. We have a lot of hard-working volunteers, but funding is always a challenge.
That brings me to the point of this post. Over the years, Cheryl and I have lent the campaign $6000 to fill the gap between our contributions and what we needed to run a successful campaign. This year, thanks to very generous donors, we do not need to do that. In fact, we will probably have enough money to pay back the loan.
Instead, Cheryl and I decided to use those proceeds to help with the disasters confronting this community and the entire State. Although the Campaign will be issuing the checks, the payments are in lieu of paying back the loan.
We are making contributions totalling $6000 to the following organizations:
NVCF/Covid-19 Relief Fund
NVCF/Wildfire Relief Fund
NVCF/Tenant Assistance Fund
AC CERT
COAD (Community Organizations Active in Disasters-Napa County)
Kiwanis Food Pantry
I know this is not enough to provide relief for all the suffering. It is a start, though, and it is our way of saying we want to do what we can to help.