You made it happen.
Thanks to you, we have exceeded our initial $50,000 fundraising goal for food security and basic needs during school closures. We are deeply grateful for the outpouring of support from more than 150 donors since mid-March. Together, we raised over $65,000 in monetary donations for our COVID-19 relief fund — and counting.
Thanks to you, we’re off and running.
School outreach advocates estimate that we have 500 families in our school community who are experiencing – or at risk for – food insecurity, housing instability, or homelessness. Your generous gifts have empowered them to take immediate action. Staff are filling and distributing about 50 bags per day for families experiencing hardship. Each bag typically contains two meals’ worth of food and an assortment of snacks, cleaning supplies, toilet paper, personal hygiene items, and school supplies.
Outreach advocates are collaborating closely with school administrators to ensure that no student is overlooked. This means listening carefully and asking questions during conversations with families. It also means addressing issues as promptly as possible to ensure the safety and wellbeing of students. This is a critical part of the work that educators are undertaking as our community prepares for distance learning.
A new reality, a new goal: We need your help.
Because school closures have been extended even further, we have increased our fundraising goal for food security and basic needs to $100,000. Increased funds will enable us to respond to the growing number of requests for assistance as families lose wages and face difficult choices. We will continue to offer supplemental food and hygiene bags as well as exploring opportunities to address food security in other ways. Funds permitting, we also hope to help prevent families from spiraling into homelessness by providing short-term, emergency relief on a case-by-case basis.
Thank you for being part of the extensive, community-wide effort to mitigate hardship for k-12 students this spring. We are grateful for every contribution toward this work. Together, we will continue to make a difference by leveraging resources, building partnerships, and addressing needs.
If you have already supported this fund, we can’t thank you enough. If you haven’t yet had a chance or you would like to donate again, you can contribute online here or mail a check to CPSF, 1555 SW 35th Street, Corvallis OR 97333. Thank you!