All In Washington match grant to Community Foundation has been approved

||| FROM HILARY CANTY for ORCAS ISLAND COMMUNITY FOUNDATION |||

The Orcas Island Community Foundation has received word from the Seattle Foundation that donations to the Community Emergency Response Fund received from July 8 through December 31, 2020 will be fully matched, bringing an additional $630,000 to Orcas for covid related recovery efforts. This is the result of the Seattle Foundation’s All in Washington campaign, which will distribute close to $50 million in matching funds across Washington State, critical support for all communities.

Locally, these funds will continue to support essential services providing food, housing, education, mental health, and case management for neighbors in need. The impact of Covid has been extreme on the local economy and the nonprofits who comprise the safety net have seen a significant increase in
numbers of clients.

Between March and December of 2020, OPAL Community Land Trust received 211 unique requests for rental and mortgage assistance, representing 587 people who have asked for $335,091. Eighty-eight percent of households served do not rent or own through OPAL. The non-profit has made 297 months of payments to landlords and banks with total payments of $287,357. This has been funded through Community Emergency Response grants of $280,000 and Federal and County funds, which have provided an additional $95,654 for rental and mortgage assistance.

The Orcas Senior Center has received $96,000 to provide funding for the following programs. The Buddy Check In program provides weekly calls to seniors who are isolating throughout the pandemic. So far, they have logged nearly 4000 calls thanks to 730 hours from volunteers. The Senior Center also used the funds to pay for meal delivery, providing 8235 meals so far (compared to 2432 during the same period in 2019).

The Orcas Island Food Bank had an increase in clients of 48% in 2020 with 2,201 more recorded visits than in the 2019. Based on a 4-pound average of food per person per day, the food bank served 92,985 meals in 2020 providing pantry staples, whole fruits and vegetables. In addition to those meals, it served 1,606 bowls of homemade soup and 600-holiday to-go meals made by volunteers and using locally farmed foods. They have received $81,200 from the Community Emergency Response fund to support these efforts.

The Orcas Community Resource Center has seen the need for services quadruple during the pandemic. They have expanded their staff and added clinical social workers to support advanced case management through the shelter program. They also support utility subsidies, transportation needs and medical concerns. They have received $316,850 for clinical social workers, increased support for essential services and shelter program.

Funding has also been provided to each of the preschools, YMCA Camp Orkila, and the Orcas Island School District to support education efforts. OICF anticipates continuing these supports throughout 2021 as the community continues to recover.

The matching funds will go a long way towards covering the needs. Thank you to everyone who donated for the match and to the Seattle Foundation for making All in Washington such a success.