Written by Nicholas Vetrisek
The San Diego Rotary Club set aside $30,000 to the National Housing Association (NHA) in order to help provide meals to seniors, homeless, low income, and mentally ill individuals during the coronavirus crisis. This grant now makes the total aid from the Rotary Club more than $95,000.
According to Mona Minton, Ph. D., General Manager of Programs, Clinics and Community Affairs at NHA, “Reimbursement for these programs stopped as a result of the pandemic shutdown. San Diego Rotary’s contribution will help ensure the initiative continues in the short term. We’re grateful for the support.”
San Diego Rotary Club President David Oates said, “We continue to seek out opportunities to create a positive and meaningful impact. This is what we do – act and lead in the service of others. We can make these kinds of contributions thanks to the amazing, generous spirit of our members. I’m grateful for their desire to step up and take this leadership role at a time when San Diegans everywhere need support most.”
In addition to the NHA’s Nutrition Service Program, the programs that have received aid from the Rotary Club include:
- $25,000 to the San Diego Foundation’s COVID-19 Community Response Fund. This fund started in March thanks to a coalition of philanthropy, government and business partners to rapidly deploy flexible resources to community-based organizations at the frontlines of the coronavirus outbreak in San Diego County.
- $25,000 matching grant to The Monarch School. The campus serves at-risk and homeless youth. With its closing last month, students require temporary assistance for shelter, food, health and mental health services. Monarch administrators sought San Diego Rotary’s help in creating a program by which the school received matching contributions dollar for dollar up to $25,000.
- $15,000 “We Are Everywhere” Virtual Food Drive. San Diego Rotary teamed up with the Jacobs and Cushman San Diego Food Bank for a challenge match. Individuals shopped in a virtual food pantry and dragged the items they wanted to buy into a shopping cart or made a direct donation. San Diego Rotary matched its members’ combined generous support of $7,500.
The proceeds came from club members as well as the Rotary Club of San Diego Foundation—the organization that supports the work of San Diego Rotary, which is the fourth largest Rotary Club in the world.
