COVER STORY

A PUBLICATION OF THE CENTRAL NEW YORK COMMUNITY FOUNDATION

COVER STORY

COVID-19: WHAT IS THE ROLE OF PHILANTHROPY DURING A CRISIS?

GRANTEE STORY

CNY DIAPER BANK GIVING BABIES A FRESH START

LEADSAFECNY

NEW INVESTMENT WILL CREATE NEW LEAD-FREE HOMES

COMMUNITY IMPACT

$963,358 IN GRANTS AWARDED TO 23 NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS

DONOR STORY

THE WIEDENBECKS: WHEN GIVING IS A FAMILY BUSINESS

GRANTING MATTERS

THE USEFULNESS OF TRACKING YOUR CLIENTS BY CENSUS TRACT

GIVING MATTERS

HOW TO SUPPORT YOUR HEIRS FOR THEIR LIFETIMES

WHAT’S HAPPENING

STAFF & BOARD UPDATES

PETER A. DUNN

PRESIDENT & CEO BOXES OF EMERGENCY FOOD

RESPONSE TO COVID-19 AT THE FOOD BANK OF CENTRAL NEW YORK

POINT OF VIEW

The coronavirus pandemic is not only a public health crisis but also a threat to the economic stability of many of our friends and neighbors in Central New York. While it is hard to be reflective in the middle of such uncertainty – this is nevertheless a good time to ask: What is the role of philanthropy during a crisis? a week of establishing this fund, we had a collaborative governance model in place and initial grants deployed into the community. In the same spirit of collaboration, the Community Foundation’s affiliate funds joined forces with local partners to provide similar support in surrounding counties.

We’ve all been required to adopt a new way of working, living and relating to each other – pivoting in a matter of days and weeks. While circumstances require that we rewrite our playbook in real time, we are not going to abandon the many things that we have committed to support. We will look at the breadth of our work with local nonprofit partners focused on innovation and flexibility. We are not going to do less because investment markets are chaotic and volatile; we are going to do more, because the community needs us to be leading in this way.

We partnered with the United Way of Central New York, the Allyn Family Foundation, The Dorothy and Marshall M. Reisman Foundation, the Health Foundation for Western and Central New York, the City of Syracuse, Onondaga County and other partners to establish the COVID-19 Community Support Fund. This fund supports nonprofits working with vulnerable communities disproportionately impacted by the economic consequences of the pandemic, with a focus on immediate needs and safety net issues. Within

The only way we can effectively deploy resources, in an equitable and impactful way, is to listen to and learn from our partners on the front lines of service delivery and those that they serve. This requires ongoing engagement and collaboration. Philanthropy cannot replace the role of government – the systemic issues we face are simply too enormous. What we can do is act quickly, deploy resources to fill gaps or prove up ideas, and create support for a scaled up response from our government partners.

The resiliency of our community is being tested. It is on each of us to respond the best we can to support one another. Ultimately, this crisis proves the point that we are all each other’s neighbor. We are grateful to our partners and contributors for stepping up to this challenge. Collectively, we stand for the common good of Syracuse and Central New York, and together we will move our community forward.

COVID-19 COMMUNITY SUPPORT FUND’S FIRST GRANTS AWARDED

GRANTS AS OF APRIL 13, 2020

$28,900 ACCESSCNY

Connect those with disabilities and/or a mental health diagnosis to vital services through remote technology

$5,000 ASSUMPTION FOOD PANTRY & SOUP KITCHEN

Distribute emergency food parcels and to-go meals to families in need

$6,500 BELLEGROVE MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH

Stock and maintain a food pantry to assist individuals and families in need of emergency food, toiletries and other basic needs

$25,000 CATHOLIC CHARITIES

Help people in need purchase food, cleaning supplies and hygiene items and assist with unexpected household expenses

$6,400 CANCER CONNECTS

Provide safe transportation for immunecompromised adult cancer patients to access treatment or physician visits

$10,000 CNY DIAPER BANK

Increase distribution of diapers, which are not covered by government safety net programs, to families in need

$1,000 CHADWICK RESIDENCE

Purchase health and safety supplies for residents of its supportive housing program for women and their children

$8,000 CLEAR PATH FOR VETERANS

Provide emergency food delivery services as well as other critical services such as financial and career counseling to Veterans and their families in Onondaga County

$2,900 CNY RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE CHARITIES

Emergency relief support for its Meals that Heal program, which provides meals to families with sick children

$57,420 FOOD BANK OF CENTRAL NEW YORK

Increase emergency food response

$10,000 HOME HEADQUARTERS

Assist homeowners without discretionary income in making emergency home repairs

$5,000 HUMANITARIAN ORGANIZATION FOR MULTICULTURAL EXPERIENCES (H.O.M.E)

Provide telehealth habilitation services and purchase health and safety supplies for staff providing face-to-face services

$50,000 HUNTINGTON FAMILY CENTERS (SYRACUSE COMMUNITY CENTER COLLABORATIVE)

Provide food pantry and diaper bank services at four neighborhood community centers

$36,000 LORETTO

Provide basic needs – food, childcare assistance, family essentials and transportation – to frontline healthcare workers

$3,500 MEALS ON WHEELS OF EASTERN ONONDAGA COUNTY

Upgrade technology to meet rapid increase in demand for services

$4,840 MEALS ON WHEELS OF SYRACUSE

Assist employees with technology to work from home and rent refrigerated storage to meet increased meal demand

$20,000 MERCY WORKS

Provide weekend groceries to Southside families that qualify for the school breakfast and lunch program on weekdays

$22,500 NORTH SIDE LEARNING CENTER

Provide basic food items to families staying home and multi-lingual outreach to advise refugee families on current restrictions, social distancing practices and community resources

$7,286 REFUGEE AND IMMIGRANT SELFEMPOWERMENT (RISE)

Provide 24/7 hotline assistance and scale up case management to connect limited English proficient families to accurate public health information and social services

$50,000 RESCUE MISSION ALLIANCE

House homeless men dealing with physical and mental health challenges at the Crossroads Adult Home

$7,500 ROAD TO EMMAUS MINISTRY OF SYRACUSE

Meet increased demand for meal service and food pantry distribution

$3,000 ST. LUCY’S FOOD PANTRY

Distribute emergency food packages to families in need

$2,000 SARAH’S GUEST HOUSE

Purchase food and cleaning supplies for guests who are patients receiving urgent and necessary medical care

$40,000 SALVATION ARMY-SYRACUSE AREA SERVICES

Provide basic needs to homeless teenagers and their babies housed at its Transitional Apartments and Parenting Center as well as deliver food, health and cleaning supplies to high-risk families in the community

$5,000 SYRACUSE JEWISH FAMILY SERVICE

Meet increased demand for Kosher Meals on Wheels and purchase technology to provide audio and video counseling as well as virtual group cognitive and emotional support discussions

$11,500 VERA HOUSE

Use remote counseling technology and maintain emergency shelter to meet a higher need due to stay-at-home restrictions, which can lead to being trapped in violent conditions

FOUNDING PARTNERS

IN THE SAME SPIRIT OF COLLABORATION, THE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION’S AFFILIATE AND REGIONAL FUNDS JOINED FORCES WITH LOCAL PARTNERS TO PROVIDE SIMILAR SUPPORT IN SURROUNDING COUNTIES. PLEASE VISIT CNYCF.ORG/ COVID19-AFFILIATE FOR MORE INFORMATION.