BPW, foundation make $20,000 contribution to Critical Need Response Fund

Regardless of whether one is rich or poor, the current economic crisis is taking its toll on all Americans.

With thousands losing their jobs and homes due to the country's money crunch, peace of mind for many is in short supply.

The winter months provide their own challenges, as bitter cold temperatures, brisk winds and rainy days can prove to be ingredients for disaster for one exposed to the elements.

But in an effort to help local organizations better respond to the growing number of people needing services, the Cherokee County Community Foundation and Gaffney Board of Public Works have decided to donate $20,000 to a Critical Need Response Fund.

Funds will be used to help shelter, feed, clothe and keep Cherokee County residents warm through the end of March.

Money from the CCCF's endowment, along with donations from the group's board of trustees, combined for a total of $10,000 to establish the fund. The BPW later made a matching contribution of $10,000.

"We wanted to put resources back into the community to help customers and others in our area during these difficult economic times," said Gaffney Board of Public Works General Manager Donnie Hardin in a prepared release. "We felt partnering with the (CCCF) on the Critical Need Response Fund was a good way to accomplish that."

According to Foundation For The Carolinas Vice President of Community Philanthropy Vicki Jones, nonprofit health and human organizations will be primary recipients of the fund. With the number of clients rising and donations going from a steady flow to a trickle, she believes this is a step in the right direction.

"This is a unique one-time opportunity," Jones said. "Being driven off the current economy in addition to wanting to ensure people were safe during the winter months, we wanted to make sure these agencies were able to meet clients' specific needs of food, clothes, shelter and warmth."

Funds going to help those in need have also been created in Mecklenburg and Cabarrus counties in North Carolina. The CCCF, a permanant endowment established in 1994 by local leaders to benefit a broad range of charitable purposes, believed the time was right for those struggling locally as a result of the sagging economy.

"The main purpose of the Cherokee County Community Foundation is to help the community," said the foundation's chairman Ben Kochenower. "Our board took the initiative to open the Critical Need Response Fund in Cherokee County as a way to fulfill that mission and to meet the increased needs of our citizens this winter."

Grants will be awarded from the fund to county nonprofit organizations most capable of addressing "welldocumented increases in case work related to the economic crisis."

"Every dollar will go to help organizations in need," Jones said.

The help probably could not have come at a better time.

In the past year, the local Salvation Army has reported a 25 percent increase in applications for assistance. Meanwhile, PeachCenter Ministries has experienced close to a 14 percent jump in services in the course of the past two months.

Local nonprofit health and human organizations can download grant applications online at www.cherokeecounty cf.org. The deadline to receive all applications is Feb. 13.

The availability of a March grant cycle will be determined based on contributions remaining in the fund, the group said in a prepared release.

Local residents can also donate to the fund by going online to the CCCF Web site; by phone, 1-800-973-7244; or by mail, P.O. Box 812, Gaffney, S.C. 29342.

All checks should be made payable to the Foundation For The Carolinas' 'Cherokee Critical Need Response Fund.'