• Fri. Mar 29th, 2024

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Covid-19 Response fund launches for County Durham

As the Covid-19 pandemic hits, local groups are under serious pressure to help those worst affected.

County Durham Community Foundation has now launched the County Durham Covid-19 Response Fund, to help our local community groups survive.

The Foundation has pledged £55,000 to help front line community groups and local charities as the virus spreads. To date, more than £119,000 has been raised.

Chief Executive Michelle Cooper said: “The situation is becoming more serious as each hour passes, and we cannot afford to wait around. We are devoting all of our time and energy into supporting our local grassroots groups, which in turn will bolster our communities.

“Illness, isolation, loneliness and poverty are very real in County Durham and Darlington right now, and exasperated by the spread of Covid-19: but if we work together we can provide support to the life-changing local community services that will lessen the blow.”

County Durham Community Foundation has a long history of supporting grassroots community groups that do vital work – food banks, community cafes, village halls, meals on wheels and so much more.

The people they support will be some of the worst affected by Coronavirus – those aged 65 and over, those with underlying medical conditions and those living in food poverty who suffer as others panic buy. 

The fund will help these groups as they keep their life-saving work going and will be easy to access so that money can be diverted quickly to where it is most needed.

Here’s what your money could buy:

  • £5 could buy a hot dinner for an older person self-isolating
  • £10 could buy basic food items for a food bank (as people panic buy items, those who cannot afford to are left without access to essentials)
  • £20 could buy fuel to help a volunteer deliver meals on wheels
  • £50 could support village halls to call elderly people in self-isolation
  • £100 could keep the lights on for a community group

To donate, please go to www.crowdfunder.co.uk/durhamcovid

Alternatively, please get in touch with County Durham Community Foundation at info@cdcf.org.uk if you would like to understand better who they are and how they are trying to help our communities at this challenging time.