The Whistler Community Foundation (WCF) has granted $20,000 to Whistler Community Services Society (WCSS) in order to support its ongoing response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"We wanted to direct the funds to an organization that was on the ground working with those in the greatest need at the moment," said Claire Mozes, executive director of the WCF.
As the leading social services provider in Whistler, WCSS operates the Whistler Food Bank and employs front-line workers trained to help people navigate difficult times.
WCSS has temporarily closed down its popular Re-Use-It Centre and Re-Build-it Centre to focus all its energy on its response to the COVID-19 crisis.
This donation from the CFOW will help alleviate some of the loss of revenue this has created for WCSS, said Mozes, adding that the WCF's 2018 Vital Signs report made it clear that WCSS's food bank serves a wide demographic, including young adults, families, and seniors.
Lori Pyne, interim executive director of WCSS, said that the organization greatly appreciated the donation.
"Contributions like this and also from the many individuals who have donated to us in recent weeks, helps ensure that we can keep up with demand for the food bank," she said in an email.
"It will go towards operations of the food bank and outreach services, when in the past funding [for this was] supported mostly through the revenue of the Re-Use-It and Re-Build-It stores."
Pyne added that the agency has seen a rise in demand in the last week.
She expected this to continue, as people receive their final paychecks and have to wait for Employment Insurance benefits to kick in.
The $20,000 donation flows from the WCF's Emergency Fund, a special fund that allows it to quickly respond to crises in the community.
The fund has been used in the past to respond to emergencies related to house fires, and helping displaced families affected by fires in Alpine Meadows, Brio, Northlands and Mount Currie.
"This is the first time it's been used in this way, where we are simply giving the money to the organization to be used for its own operations," said Mozes.
The WCF is currently asking for donations to its Emergency Fund, saying that it allows the organization to respond quickly to crises that arise. "We want to be sensitive that this is not necessarily the time that people have extra funds to give, but there may be some corporations or individuals out there that do have some extra funds to give at the time," said Mozes.
Online donations to the WCF's Emergency Fund are eligible for a tax receipt and can be made at www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/community-foundation-of-whistler/p2p/emergency-fund-covid-19.
If you're looking to help WCSS, Pyne said money is the best way to contribute and can be given online (www.mywcss.org).
Pyne asked the public not to donate to the Re-Use-It Centre, as the WCSS doesn't have personnel to deal with donations at this time.
