Twenty-two organizations recently received grants totaling $24,000 from the third round of funding from the COVID-19 Response Fund for Cattaraugus County, bringing the total in grants made from the fund to date to nearly $94,000.

The Cattaraugus Region Community Foundation, Dr. Lyle F. Renodin Foundation and the United Way of Cattaraugus County together worked to establish and facilitate fundraising and grantmaking from the COVID-19 Response Fund for Cattaraugus County and together have continued those efforts since last March.

“It is fitting that this third round of grants comes almost a year to the day since the establishment of the COVID-19 Response Fund in Cattaraugus County,” said CRCF Executive Director Karen Niemic Buchheit. “This collaborative process has provided essential resources to the organizations on the front lines of the pandemic and demonstrates how strong this community is when we come together for an important purpose.”

The grant recipients from the third round of funding include:

• Olean Food Pantry - $1,600 for supplemental food purchases
• Cattaraugus Community Action - $1,500 for electronic device support for food distribution
• FeedMoreWNY - $1,500 for emergency food relief in Cattaraugus County to 29 food pantries
• Saving Grace Outreach - $1,500 for food, baby items and personal hygiene supplies for needy and food pantry families
• Southern Tier Child Advocacy Center - $1,500 for gas and phone cards, utility payments, rent assistance, food supplies and internet fees for vulnerable families
• The Master’s Plan - $1,500 for food and food delivery, utility assistance and basic needs
• The Salvation Army - $1,500 for food and rent and utility assistance
• Harvest Field Outreach Center - $1,400 for community soup kitchen food supplies
• St. Bonaventure Warming House - $1,400 for expenses related to increasing operational capacity
• YMCA of the Twin Tiers - $1,400 for YMCA learning labs and child care program
• Canticle Farm - $1,200 to sponsor farm shares for residents facing food insecurity
• Cattaraugus County Department of Community Services Foundations for Change - $1,000 to support access to telehealth therapy and other services and assist with cost of PPE and food and hygiene products
• Cornell Cooperative Extension - $900 for online programming for adults and vulnerable families in Cattaraugus County
• Olean First Baptist Church - $900 for the We are His Hands Program to provide food voucher/grocery store gift cards and hygiene kits to needy residents
• Housing Options Made Easy - $800 for broadband capable devices to provide literacy education for low-income seniors to improve access to telehealth and other services
• Kevin Guest House - $800 for COVID-19 equipment and supply needs
• Rebuilding Together - $800 for handicapped accessible ramps and home renovations to assist low-income residents with staying in their homes
• SPCA in Cattaraugus County - $800 for urgent pet medical needs due to family hardship
• Friends of Strays - $600 for spaying, neutering and medical care of animals
• Allegany Public Library -$500 for books for remote and homeschool learning
• Southern Tier Catholic School/Archbishop Walsh Academy - $500 for toward the cost of an electrostatic sprayer for school disinfection
• Interfaith Caregivers - $400 for supplies to promote services to elderly and visually-impaired as part of the organization re-launch.

In addition to grants made from the COVID-19 Response Fund for Cattaraugus County, CRCF and the fund’s other leading partners have helped facilitate the distribution of funding from other sources, including the WNY COVID-19 Community Response Fund and the fund’s microgrant program and the Blue Fund microgrant program, together culminating in over $200,000 in additional funding for COVID-19 relief in Cattaraugus County.

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).