Foundation Awards 6 Grants for Quake Relief

Six nonprofit organizations won grants from the Ventura County Community Foundation to defray costs of emergency relief programs following the Jan. 17 earthquake.

The American Red Cross of Ventura County and FOOD Share each received $2,500 to pay for relief work in Simi Valley, Fillmore and Piru after the Northridge earthquake.

Even those grants, however, covered only a fraction of the agencies’ expenses. FOOD Share spent $7,000 just on gas to transport food into the hardest-hit areas of Ventura County.

“They were overwhelmed with demands on services,” said Kate McLean, president of the Ventura County Community Foundation.

“It was very difficult for organizations already struggling with tight operating budgets to put so many resources and personnel out to respond to the earthquake,” McLean said.

Other grants awarded included: $2,000 to the Centro de Salud Familiar de Fillmore to subsidize medical and psychological care for residents who suffered in the earthquake; $1,500 each to Interface Children Family Services and Rainbow Recovery Centers’ Simi Valley shelter, and $1,000 to Catholic Charities of Ventura County for an after-school program to help Fillmore children overcome their post-earthquake fears.

The earthquake relief money will not affect the Ventura County Community Foundation’s regular grant cycle. The endowment fund, supported by local donations, will distribute about $50,000 this year. Applications will be available in August, McLean said.