{"id":806930,"date":"2020-04-29T14:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-04-29T20:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/?p=382354"},"modified":"2020-04-29T14:00:00","modified_gmt":"2020-04-29T20:00:00","slug":"summit-cares-emergency-fund-raises-570000-for-area-nonprofits","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/local-news\/summit-cares-emergency-fund-raises-570000-for-area-nonprofits\/","title":{"rendered":"Summit Cares Emergency Fund raises $570,000 for area nonprofits"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure class=\"wp-block-image p402_hide\">\n<div class=\"caption-container\"> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/04\/NonproftisCovid-SDN-042920-6-1024x683.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-post-image\" alt srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/04\/NonproftisCovid-SDN-042920-6-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/04\/NonproftisCovid-SDN-042920-6-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/04\/NonproftisCovid-SDN-042920-6-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/04\/NonproftisCovid-SDN-042920-6-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/04\/NonproftisCovid-SDN-042920-6-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"><figcaption><strong>Krista Brudick, executive director for TreeTop Child Advocacy Center, helps pack school lunches at The Church at Agape Outpost in Breckenridge for Smart Bellies on Thursday, April 23. Smart Bellies is a program that serves school lunches for children in need, but since schools have been closed during the COVID-19 pandemic, food is distributed at Dillon Valley Elementary and Summit High School or dropped off at homes.<\/strong><br \/><em>Liz Copan \/ ecopan@summitdaily.com<\/em><\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>FRISCO \u2014 Since its inception last month, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/news\/summit-foundation-creates-new-covid-19-fund-to-support-emergency-needs-at-area-nonprofits\/\">The Summit Foundation\u2019s Summit Cares Emergency Fund<\/a> has raised $570,000 for nonprofits affected by the coronavirus pandemic. As of Monday, April 27, the foundation has distributed $112,500 of that to applicants.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The fund is specifically for nonprofits that deal with direct needs, such as food and shelter, and was formed with $100,000 in seed money from the estate of longtime community volunteer <a href=\"https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/news\/obituaries\/obituary-harriett-seretha-bobo\/\">Harriett Bobo<\/a>. It started when The Summit Foundation ran an analysis to determine how much its 100 local nonprofit partners \u2014 including ones in Fairplay, Leadville and Kremmling \u2014 need to make up for lost revenue.<\/p>\n<p>According to The Summit Foundation Executive Director Jeanne&nbsp;Bistranin, the analysis \u2014 which is based on anecdotes and estimates from early March \u2014 found a total shortfall that ranged from $7 million to over $20 million.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMany of them have had to cancel their fundraising events and that has impacted every single nonprofit,\u201d Bistranin said. \u201cThe analysis was so eye-opening. This was not business as usual, and it can\u2019t be business as usual.&nbsp;Philanthropy won\u2019t be able to make up for that.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col\" readability=\"6\">\n<div class=\"row sd-donation sd-donation-mobile p-0\" readability=\"7\">\n<div class=\"col-xl-4 p-2\">\n<div data-bg=\"url(https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/03\/SDN-logo-white-1.png)\" class=\"p-0 mt-2 mb-2 h-75 text-center rocket-lazyload\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/03\/SDN-logo-white-1.png\" class=\"logo m-0 p-0 invisible\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><h3 class=\"d-inline mr-3\">Support Local Journalism<\/h3>\n<p><button class=\"btn d-inline\" type=\"button\" onclick=\"handleDonationButtonClickMidArticle()\">Donate<\/button><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The foundation has given money to all nonprofits that have asked at the amount requested within roughly a week of applying. Naturally, larger nonprofits have received more funding with smaller nonprofits receiving less. For example, Bistranin said the Family &amp; Intercultural Resource Center was awarded about $25,000 while the South Park Food Bank got around $5,000. Nonprofits also can request more money as necessary.<\/p>\n<p>Bistranin said nonprofits that are doing well are ones that have reserves set aside for times like these, while smaller nonprofits, child care centers and other entities that don\u2019t have the luxury to save will struggle.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cUnless they make the necessary adjustments, we might see some that don\u2019t come out so well on the other end,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>One of the nonprofits the relief fund has helped is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.smartbellies.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Smart Bellies<\/a><i class=\"fas fa-external-link-alt\"><\/i>. Formed last year by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/news\/smart-bellies-brings-weekend-food-program-to-underprivileged-students-of-summit-county\/\">Sarah Schmidt and Margaret Sheehe<\/a>, the organization provides food for students over the weekend when they might not have a steady source of meals outside of school. Because school has been canceled, they\u2019re seeing an increase in children getting breakfast, lunch and snacks. Smart Bellies used to feed around 300 students weekly but recently fed as many as 550.<\/p>\n<p>To help with the demand, Smart Bellies is using the $10,000 it received from The Summit Foundation to buy fresh produce, which it can\u2019t always afford to do. The fruits, vegetables and other items are then packed up and taken to a distribution site or delivered straight to the door of a family in need \u2014 a new service started because of the pandemic. The majority of food goes to a school for pickup, but Smart Bellies has now done about 150 deliveries a week to people who either can\u2019t leave their homes or don\u2019t have the means to.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s where we\u2019re trying to do a little extra.\u201d Sheehe said. \u201cThose are the families that we think are going to have more trouble getting to the grocery store.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Smart Bellies is fortunate to be volunteer-based and not have to worry about staffing issues. However, that means Schmidt and Sheehe rely on direct donations and haven\u2019t been able to apply for a federal small business loan. The community has supported them by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.smartbellies.org\/donate-food\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">donating more food<\/a><i class=\"fas fa-external-link-alt\"><\/i> than ever before, with roughly 50% of their food being donated.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn the past, we buy food because we try to make sure it\u2019s easy to eat, something they like and make sure it\u2019s not sugary cereals,\u201d Sheehe said \u201c\u2026 We\u2019re a little particular, but even with being particular, people are have just been able to donate all kinds of stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The nonprofit also doesn\u2019t have a permanent space, so The Church at&nbsp;Agape&nbsp;Outpost has given Smart Bellies access to the building for volunteers to pack bags.<\/p>\n<p>The two hope the generosity will continue past the pandemic.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur families need more help now, but it\u2019s not like the coronavirus will go away, and you\u2019ll make back all the money you didn\u2019t make and that kind of thing,\u201d Sheehe said. \u201cWe\u2019re thinking they\u2019re going to need help going forward into the future. \u2026 It\u2019s going being to a long haul.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.keystonescienceschool.org\/covid-19-what-kss-is-doing-prevention-and-response\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">The Keystone Science School<\/a><i class=\"fas fa-external-link-alt\"><\/i> also has been affected by COVID-19 and school closures.<\/p>\n<p>Though the nonprofit hasn\u2019t applied for money from The Summit Foundation\u2019s fund, which is currently geared toward supplying emergency needs, it has received assistance from the foundation by allowing the school to use previously restricted donations for its Resiliency and Restart Fund. Combined with the Paycheck Protection Program, Keystone Science School has replaced roughly 25% of its original budget that it lost due to the pandemic canceling programming.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat is just a tremendous help for us,\u201d Executive Direct Ellen Reid said. \u201c\u2026 It\u2019s cash sitting that we couldn\u2019t touch, and now they\u2019re allowing us to redirect that to use it any way we need to support our longer-term viability.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The primary cancelation was of the Keystone Science School\u2019s CATCH program, which stands for Coordinated Approach to Child Health. The school is working on rescheduling the after-school activities along with its educational overnight programs that serve other Colorado schools. Additionally, it has made its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.keystonescienceschool.org\/camp\/camp-resources\/cancellation-policy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">cancellation policies and scholarships<\/a><i class=\"fas fa-external-link-alt\"><\/i> more flexible for families who might no longer be able to afford the camp.<\/p>\n<p>The school also has postponed its main CATCH fundraiser, Sipping for Science scheduled for June, cut expenses with a hiring freeze and shifted job duties around.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTake for example our chef,\u201d Reid said. \u201cHe would be cooking for 70 kids right now, and there aren\u2019t 70 kids to cook for. He lives on campus, so he\u2019s doing other things like helping with projects on campus. \u2026 To have a group of people surrounding you with supportive guidance, I\u2019m grateful. I feel very lucky. This is not something any executive director or nonprofit leader in our lifetime has dealt with. This is all unprecedented.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Other staff members are working from home while some were phased out naturally, such as instructors without kids to teach, shrinking the total number of employees to 20. The school is currently using reserves that were meant to last 60 days at full capacity while building up its resiliency fund.<\/p>\n<p>As for summer and beyond, Reid is \u201ccautiously optimistic\u201d and said they have multiple scenarios in mind for how things might operate. According to her, the science-based outdoor programs are more important now than before.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut that doesn\u2019t change the environment of not wanting people to get sick,\u201d Reid said. \u201cWhatever we decide to do, we will keep health and safety as our No. 1 priority. We have to.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/news\/summit-cares-emergency-fund-raises-570000-for-area-nonprofits\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">via:: Summit Daily<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Krista Brudick, executive director for TreeTop Child Advocacy Center, helps pack school lunches at The Church at Agape Outpost in Breckenridge for Smart Bellies on Thursday, April 23. Smart Bellies is a program that serves school lunches for children in need, but since schools have been closed during the COVID-19 pandemic, food is distributed at [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[99],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-806930","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-local-news"},"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-07-12 15:28:09","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSMT The Mountain","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/806930","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=806930"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/806930\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=806930"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=806930"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=806930"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}