The founder of one of the Charleston region’s largest technology companies will match up to $500,000 in donations to a coronavirus relief fund that provides grants to coastal nonprofit groups. The pledge was announced Tuesday by former Blackbaud Inc. CEO Tony Bakker and wife Linda and their children, James Bakker and Katy Bakker McKee.
The matching funds from the family will be available though April 20 to the Coastal Community Foundation’s COVID-19 Relief & Recovery Fund, which was created recently to help nonprofits that provide medical care, food access, financial support and other critical services.
If the goal is reached in the next two weeks, that will bring the fund’s total to at least $1.5 million, all of which will go directly to the nonprofits working on providing medical care, food access, financial support and more to those most impacted by the Coronavirus outbreak in coastal South Carolina.
With a record number of South Carolinians applying for unemployment benefits amid the pandemic, it’s expected that more people will rely on nonprofit services for fresh food and other necessities for the duration of the social distancing period. The COVID-19 Relief & Recovery Fund aims to help nonprofits quickly meet that increased demand.
The first round of grants from the COVID-19 Relief & Recovery Fund of Coastal Community Foundation, totaling $90,000, have been awarded to support nonprofits expanding food access, providing shelter to children and supporting small businesses throughout coastal South Carolina in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
The second round of grants totaling $100,000 will be awarded in the next few days. Here are the grant recipients so far.
Lowcountry Food Bank, serving all nine coastal counties of South Carolina, was awarded $50,000 to purchase at least 17,000 pounds of shelf-stable food; provide at least 1,100 food assistance boxes to its 275 partner agencies throughout South Carolina, and support weekend hunger-relief backpacks and School Pantry boxes for students.
The Carolina Youth Development Center, serving Berkeley and Charleston counties, was awarded $10,000 to increase direct care staff at its group homes for displaced children. The nonprofit is accepting up to 29 more children upon referral from DSS — almost doubling its current population and significantly increasing CYDC’s need for staffing.
Second Helpings — serving Beaufort, Hampton and Jasper Counties — typically feeds nearly 20,000 people per week with donated food from restaurants and grocery stores. Those donations have been reduced by half over the past few weeks due to the pandemic. The nonprofit was awarded $15,000 to purchase nonperishable food and sanitation supplies to continue serving people in need.
Conway Downtown Alive in Horry County has been awarded $15,000 to provide direct, one-time relief payments to up to 70 employees of independent hospitality businesses in downtown Conway. More workers in Horry County have applied for unemployment benefits than any other county in the state, according to the U.S. Department of Labor Statistics.
Coastal Community Foundation of South Carolina is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that works to create vibrant communities by uniting people and investing resources across Beaufort, Berkeley, Charleston, Colleton, Dorchester, Georgetown, Hampton, Horry and Jasper counties. Through our tools for long-term charitable giving, we help individuals, families, businesses and organizations be the reason why communities thrive in the nine counties we serve along South Carolina’s coast. To learn more, visit coastalcommunityfoundation.org or call (843) 723-3635.
