Community Foundation of Southern Arizona Adds $50,000 in COVID-19 Grants
During a time of abundance for some and scarcity for others, the Community Foundation for Southern Arizona has announced that an additional $50,000 in COVID-19 relief funding has been awarded this month to provide funding to rural nonprofit organizations addressing food insecurity.
In partnership with generous donors and supporters, the Community Foundation for Southern Arizona has granted over $3.6 million in COVID-19 Response Grants since March 2020. To date, 267 grants were given to 168 organizations, totaling $3,717,949 in funding.
November Grantees:
- Ajo Center for Sustainable Agriculture – Ajo Food Pantry
- Arivaca Human Resources
- Arivaca Helping Hearts
- Community Food Bank Nogales
- Crossroads Mission – Yuma
- E. Santa Cruz Community Food Bank – Patagonia
- Our Neighbors Farm & Pantry – Safford
- Santa Cruz Valley Food Pantry/Community Action Human Resource Agency Eloy
- Tombstone Food Bank
- Willcox Community Food Pantry
Grantee Highlights:
Ajo Center for Sustainable Agriculture stepped up to run the community food pantry in Ajo when COVID-19 hit. While this impacted their ability to do other important programming, they pivoted and started distributing food to families in need. Since the pandemic began, they have distributed more than 1.2 million pounds of food, making sure to provide culturally-appropriate and healthy foods.
Nina Sajovec, founder and director of Ajo CSA, said: “This grant will allow a Native American-governed nonprofit Ajo Center for Sustainable Agriculture to continue a partnership-based emergency food relief program serving up to 500 families on the Tohono O’odham Nation and 300 families in Ajo. We deeply appreciate the support of CFSA – it is thanks to your support that families in Ajo and on the Tohono O’odham Nation are not going to go hungry through the holidays.”
East Santa Cruz Community Food Bank is based in Patagonia, Ariz. and serves all of eastern Santa Cruz County with supplemental food bags, boxes, and emergency food as needed. They provide an annual Thanksgiving distribution, along with monthly food bags.
Jim Staudacher, president of ESCCFB, said, “The grant money we received from CFSA allowed us to purchase and distribute Thanksgiving Turkeys and Holiday Hams to our clients who otherwise were facing a holiday season without those traditionally special foods which have become expensive and in short supply. Thank you CFSA!”
