Imperial Valley Wellness Foundation Announces Grantees of COVID-19 Response Fund—Round 3

El Centro, CA. June 4, 2021. The Imperial Valley Wellness Foundation (IVWF) has awarded Covid-19 Response grants to ten nonprofits that are serving vulnerable populations within Imperial County, especially those disproportionately impacted by unemployment and other economic hardship due to the Covid-19 pandemic. In this third round of funding, awards ranged from $5,000 to $50,000 per recipient, totaling $280,000.

To date, IVWF has awarded in total $846,000 in Covid-19 Response funding to nonprofits, providing direct assistance related to food insecurity, basic supplies, rental, mortgage and utility assistance, and other emergency needs for Imperial County individuals and families impacted by unemployment and economic hardship due to the global pandemic.

Imperial County Covid-19 Response Fund – Round 3 Grantees:

Cancer Resource Center of the Desert

Catholic Charities Diocese of San Diego

Cody’s Closet

Imperial Valley LGBT Resource Center

Imperial Valley Food Bank

Spread the Love Charity

The Campanile Foundation (SDSU’s Economic Crisis Response Team (ECRT))

The Salvation Army

Westmorland Community Food Pantry

WomanHaven

The majority of the funding came from organizations outside Imperial County; organizations that saw the reports about the disproportionate impact the pandemic was having in the Valley and wanted to help. Among the funders were: Alliance Healthcare Foundation, California Wellness Foundation, Cal Energy, California Health Care Foundation, CDC Foundation, First Imperial Credit Union, Ormat Technologies, The Center for Sierra Health,  The Chicago Community Trust, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation/The San Diego Foundation, The Stuart Family Foundation, Walmart Foundation, MUFG Union Bank/Community Recovery Program, WebMD.

“Although still getting settled in my new role, I am encouraged to see the outside philanthropic support that was rallied for Covid-19 aid to Imperial Valley residents,” said Roque Barros, executive director, Imperial Valley Wellness Foundation. “I also know how big hearted the folks of Imperial Valley are about taking care of their neighbors. I look forward to working together to strengthen this vital community.”

##########About Imperial Valley Wellness Foundation. Recognizing a need for more local funding to support promising health initiatives, a group of Imperial Valley civic leaders joined forces to create the Imperial Valley Wellness Foundation (IVWF). IVWF is a tax-exempt public charity under section 501(c)(3) of the IRS code formed to advance the health and wellness of vulnerable populations in Imperial County. The San Diego-based Alliance Healthcare Foundation, nationally recognized for its innovative health and wellness initiatives, has offered a $7.5 million matching grant to endow IVWF and has provided other direct funding to support start-up operations and initial grant making. Wholly independent from Alliance Healthcare Foundation and locally governed by its own board of trustees, the new Imperial Valley Wellness Foundation is raising an additional $17.5 million through a national capital campaign to create a $25 million endowment that will fund local programs and activities in perpetuity. Visit www.ivwf.org.

IVWF Board of Trustees (6/1/2021)

• Jose Landeros, Board Chair; Vice President, David H. West Insurance
• Alex Cardenas, Vice Chair; Executive Director, CASA Imperial County
• Tim Kelley, Secretary; President & CEO, Imperial Valley Economic Development Corp
• Yurii Camacho, English High School Teacher, Holtville Unified School District
• James Garcia, Owner, Capital Real Estate
• Sara Griffen, Executive Director, Imperial Valley Food Bank
• Jazmyn Horton, Candidate for Masters in Social Work, San Diego State University-Imperial Valley Campus
• Matthew Jaime, Registered Dietician
• Stephen Jaime, Clinical Nurse Specialist of Diabetes Education, El Centro Regional Medical Center
• Antonio Romayor, Jr. M.Ed., Chief Technology Officer, El Centro Elementary School District

AHF Media contact:
Karen Winston, Communications Director, Alliance Healthcare Foundation
P 858-348-6472 E karen.winston@alliancehf.org