RALEIGH, N.C.–Two credit unions have announced large donations to assist groups in their respective communities that are working to provide help during the coronavirus pandemic.
In North Carolina, the Coastal Credit Union Foundation said it is providing a community relief package in the form of $500,000 in unrestricted grants to several area nonprofits. The grants will be used to provide community assistance in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It was important to us that we make these funds unrestricted,” said Chuck Purvis, Coastal’s president & CEO. “The situation is fluid, and the community needs are changing rapidly. The response needs to be just as nimble, and we have complete confidence in our nonprofit partners to decide how to use the money the best way possible.”
The package includes a $100,000 grant to the newly-created NC Restaurant Relief Fund, an initiative that was created to help local restaurant employees who have been hit hard by business closures aimed at slowing the spread of coronavirus.
Coastal’s Foundation is also supporting the following local nonprofits:
- Durham Community Land Trust
- EmPOWERment Inc.
- Families Together
- Inter-faith Food Shuttle
- Meals on Wheels of Wake County
- Passage Home
- TABLE Chapel Hill
- Triangle Family Services
- Urban Ministries of Durham
- United Way Rapid Response Fund
The foundation selected the organizations based on their capability of immediately putting funds to work in the communities they serve, to help people who have been affected by the various impacts of COVID-19, Coastal said.
“All were recommended in our conversations with local leaders who helped us identify organizations that can help the most, right away,” said Willard Ross, foundation chair. “These are organizations who we already know are making a strong impact in the community, and who are seeing a steep increase in the demand for the services that they already provide every day.
“This is just the first phase,” added Ross. “As the situation evolves and the impact changes, we’re going to entertain new requests and actively explore more opportunities to contribute over the coming weeks and months.”
DCECU Provides Support
Meanwhile, in Michigan, Dow Chemical Employees’ Credit Union has committed a total of $200,000 to organizations in several counties to support local relief efforts related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The donation is being distributed among the United Way of Bay County, United Way of Clare and Gladwin Counties, the Midland Area Community Foundation, and the United Way of Saginaw County.
The funds are to be used on a variety of COVID-19 relief initiatives at the discretion of each organization, including:
- United Way of Bay County will use the funds to provide assistance to Bay County residents in need.
- The Midland Area Community Foundation will apply the donation to its COVID-19 Response Fund to assist the Midland County COVID-19 Coalition in filling funding gaps to support the community in partnership with health and human service agencies, school districts, businesses, and municipalities. The foundation is matching DCECU’s donation, doubling its value.
- United Way of Clare and Gladwin Counties will use the funds to assist Gladwin County partner agencies that are identifying and addressing community needs.
- United Way of Saginaw County plans to use the funds to help partner agencies whose programs, services and dollars are most in demand at this time.
‘Goes Without Saying’
“It almost goes without saying that the coronavirus outbreak has placed tremendous strain on a great many people, businesses, organizations and governments everywhere,” said DCECU CFO and soon-to-be President/CEO Michael Goad. “We feel a deep responsibility to our communities at all times – but especially in moments like this when the need is so significant and widespread.”