Disaster response fund created for Floyd County nonprofits

By James Grob, jgrob@charlescitypress.com

The Floyd County Community Foundation has established the Floyd County COVID-19 Disaster Response Fund to help nonprofit organizations deal with the coronavirus pandemic and its effects on Floyd County.

The unrestricted fund will provide a flexible, responsive funding source for nonprofits serving Floyd County that are providing basic needs services, as well as organizations working with individuals and families who have been disproportionately impacted by the public health and economic consequences of the coronavirus pandemic, according to information from the Foundation.

“The intent of this particular fund will be to serve not just agencies that have benefitted from the grants in the past, but any other agency or organization that may be impacted by the COVID-19 slowdown,” said Charlie Newman, chairman of the Floyd County Community Foundation governing committee.

“The establishment of this fund gives both the Community Foundation and the public an opportunity to support the local nonprofits serving Floyd County communities and residents,” said Newman.

Newman said the fund will be available to provide some relief for organizations impacted by COVID-19 not just now, but several months from now.

Grants from the Disaster Response Fund will be administered in collaboration with organizations coordinating pandemic response efforts.

Funds will be released on a rolling basis as fundraising continues throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, making it possible to move resources quickly and to adapt to evolving needs in subsequent phases of the crisis recovery efforts, the Foundation said.

Newman said he has reached out to the Floyd County Board of Supervisors to find people to help administer the funding.

The Disaster Response Fund provides an opportunity for the public to contribute funds with the reassurance their donations will be used to quickly move resources to where they are most needed and to adapt to evolving needs, the Foundation said.

Gifts can be made to the fund by going to cfneia.org/floydcovidfund and clicking on the “Give Today” button.

“People have been very benevolent in the time of need,” Newman said. “Hopefully people can put money into the fund and then this thing can start rolling a little bit.”

The Floyd County Community Foundation is an affiliate of the Community Foundation of Northeast Iowa. Gifts can also be directed to that organization at 3117 Greenhill Circle, Cedar Falls, Iowa 50613. Checks should be made out to Floyd County COVID-19 Disaster Response Fund.

Online gifts are strongly encouraged to have funds accessible for quick response to needs.

Floyd County residents seeking help due to the impact of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic are encouraged to utilize United Way’s 211 service by calling 1-866-469-2211 or visiting www.211iowa.org. This service is a free, confidential referral source helping connect people to health and human services.

For more information about the Floyd County COVID-19 Disaster Response Fund, visit www.cfneia.org or contact CFNEIA at 319-287-9106.