For the third time since the beginning of the pandemic, philanthropic leaders in Cattaraugus County helped facilitate the distribution of microgrants from the WNY COVID-19 Community Fund Response Fund to organizations working on the front lines to provide relief to those most impacted by the ongoing pandemic, culminating in 36 grants totaling $45,000.

The Western New York COVID-19 Community Response Fund was created by the philanthropic community to support nonprofits addressing immediate needs in response to the COVID-19 crisis in the eight counties of Western New York.

In the prior rounds of grantmaking, the WNY Fund’s microgrant program issued $34,000 in relief funding to the Cattaraugus Region Community Foundation, which acted as the fiscal agent to distribute grants to organizations providing needed services to vulnerable and impacted populations.

Representatives from the Cattaraugus County Department of Health, Cattaraugus Community Action, Healthy Community Alliance, United Way of Cattaraugus County and Dr. Lyle F. Renodin Foundation worked to identify grant recipients in all three phases of funding

Recipients of the third round of microgrants include:

• Allegany County Community Opportunities and Rural Development Inc. (ACCORD) - $1,500 to purchase creditable food for 21 in-home childcare providers in Cattaraugus County
• Canticle Farm Inc.- $1,200 for agency financial support
• Catholic Charities of Buffalo – $1,500 for food and hygiene supplies for the Franklinville Food Pantry
• Cattaraugus County Department of Aging (Meals on Wheels of Cattaraugus County) - $3,000 for food, PPE (personal protective equipment) and hygiene supplies
• Connecting Communities in Action, Inc. - $3,500 for food and hygiene supplies for the CCA food pantry
• Connecting Communities in Action, Inc - $2,500 for clothing, PPE, transition suppolies at Kinley Hill Shelter
• Delevan Food Pantry - $1,000 for food and hygiene supplies
• Directions in Independent Living - $700 for technology needed for virtual mental health client communication
• Genesis House of Olean, Inc. - $1,000 for PPE, hygiene supplies, transition supplies
• Great Valley Food Pantry - $1,500 for food and hygiene supplies
• Healthy Community Alliance - $600 for fresh food and produce for Community Place country store
• Hinsdale Food Pantry - $800 for food and hygiene supplies
• Limestone Food Pantry - $600 for food and hygiene supplies
• Loaves & Fishes - $1,500 for food and hygiene supplies
• Love INC Gowanda - $2,000 for food and hygiene supplies for the Gowanda Food Pantry, $1,500 for utilities/rent assistance, transportation, food
• Love INC Springville - $900 for utilities/rent assistance, transportation and food for residents of norther Cattaraugus County
• Olean First Baptist Church - $600 to We Are His Hands program for assistance with purchasing food and hygiene supplies, utilities assistance
• Olean Food Pantry - $3,500 for food and hygiene supplies
• Portville Community Food Pantry - $800 for food and hygiene supplies
• Salvation Army - $1,500 for food and hygiene supplies, rent/utilities assistance and food delivery
• Saving Grace Outreach - $ 2,000 for food and hygiene supplies for Cattaraugus Food Pantry
• Seneca Nation Food Pantry - $1,600 for food and hygiene supplies
• South Dayton Food Pantry - $1,200 for food and hygiene supplies
• St. Stephen's Episcopal Church Pet Food Pantry - $1,400 for pet food and supplies
• St. Vincent DePaul Thrift Store - $1,000 for food and utilities assistance
• The Master's Plan - $1,700 for food, rent/utlities assistance, PPE and cleaning supplies
• United Church of Ellicottville Food Pantry - $1,300 for food and hygiene supplies
• Valley View Baptist Church Food Pantry - $800 for food and hygiene supplies
• Warming House - $1,800 for food and hygiene supplies

The WNY COVID-19 Community Response Fund has worked with CRCF and other community agencies to coordinate over $200,000 in grants to nonprofits in Cattaraugus County since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Cattaraugus Region Community Foundation is the area’s supportive, responsive and trusted community foundation. Established in 1994, CRCF is growing good by connecting donors to the causes they care about most in the region. Grants from the foundation support many areas, including education, scholarships, health care, the arts, community development, human service, and youth development. To learn more, call (716) 301-CRCF (2723), email [email protected], or visit online at www.cattfoundation.org. CRCF is also on Facebook (facebook.com/cattfoundation) and Twitter (@CattFoundation).