The Community Foundation for Monterey County (CFMC) created the Monterey County Storm Relief Fund on January 10 to assist communities impacted by the 2023 winter storms. The fund is a trusted repository for donations and 100% of gifts to cfmco.org/StormRelief are used for grantmaking to support storm relief and recovery throughout Monterey County.
More than $2 Million Granted from Storm Relief Fund
The fund first granted $95,000 the week of January 16 to three community-based organizations; Community Emergency Response Volunteers of the Monterey Peninsula (CERV), Community Bridges and Casa de la Cultura. The CERV grant provided financial support for farmworkers in Salinas, Salinas Valley, and South County. Community Bridges and Casa de la Cultura Center, both located in Pajaro, provided economic assistance for North Monterey County residents in affected areas. Community Bridges delivers essential services and provides equitable access to resources. Casa de la Cultura Center offers a variety of programs and services, primarily for the farm worker community. The CFMC awarded $121,400 on January 24, 2023 to five nonprofit organizations: ACTION Council for storm relief for impacted communities; Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Monterey for storm relief for impacted communities; Community Association of Big Sur (CABS) for storm relief for Big Sur South Coast; Meals on Wheels of the Monterey Peninsula for emergency response meals including Cachagua and Big Sur and Wonder Wood Ranch for storm and mudslide repairs. The fund has made 65 grants totaling $2,056,490 through September, 2023.Donors
Grants were made possible by the Community Foundation for Monterey County, the Monterey Peninsula Foundation, host of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, with additional support from the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, Vistra Energy, CFMC donor advisors, individuals and businesses. More information, guidelines and details are available at cfmco.org/StormReliefGrants.The need is great to support local families. Donations to the Monterey County Storm Relief fund will help nonprofits providing direct assistance and recovery,” said Laurel Lee-Alexander, Vice President of Community Impact.Additional support for those affected came from the Community Fund for Carmel Valley, an affiliate fund of the Community Foundation for Monterey County. The local advisory board activated their Carmel Valley Disaster Relief Fund on January 11 and made an immediate grant of $15,000 to the Carmel Valley Rotary Club Foundation to provide gift cards to Carmel Valley residents affected by the storms.
