The Community Foundation Serving Southwest Colorado experienced unprecedented support from donors in 2020 in response to the needs that arose during the pandemic.
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If the pandemic had a
silver lining at all,
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it could be found in the generosity
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of donors whose contributions
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to the Community Foundation
serving Southwest Colorado
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helped support small businesses,
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nonprofits, and education in 2020.
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You're watching the Local News Network,
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brought to you by Tafoya
Barrett and Associates
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and Fast Signs of Durango.
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I'm Wendy Graham Settle.
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While the pandemic devastated
the region's economy,
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the Community Foundation
serving Southwest Colorado
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reports that the amount of
money it was able to give
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to small businesses, nonprofits,
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and educational organizations
more than doubled in 2020.
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Well, we gave away $4 million last year.
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It's double what we typically do,
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and a lot of it went to non-profits
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who were struggling through the COVID-19.
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So 2.2 million was granted
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from the Community Foundation nonprofits
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or from the Community
Foundation to nonprofits,
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30% of which was from CERF.
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So what that means is that people
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were very generous to CERF,
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but they were also very generous.
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And so we were giving from
all different pipelines
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to make sure our nonprofits
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got what they needed to stay stable.
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CERF is the Community
Emergency Relief Fund
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that the foundation administers
to support individuals
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and organizations affected by emergencies
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in the five county region nine area.
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Last year, Wrinkle said the foundation
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wanted to establish a
creative giving strategy
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that would support small businesses
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while at the same time benefit nonprofits,
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particularly those that
address food security.
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So one of the things that we think
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is so important at the
Community Foundation
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is really doing programs
that are sustainable
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and really feed the business,
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as well as the nonprofits,
as well as the members.
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So with this food for purchasing program,
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we are paying the farmers
who are local businesses
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and making sure that they
plant and grow what we need.
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They will then give it to, or
they will buy it from them,
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and they will give it to the food pantries
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who will then in turn make
sure that all of our members,
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all the people who are food insecure,
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have fresh fruits and
vegetables in their food boxes.
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This is the kind of programming
that's so important to us
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because it's really 360 degree
benefiting the community,
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benefiting the small farmers
and the small businesses,
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as well as the nonprofits,
as well as our members
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who are in so much need during COVID.
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This past winter the
foundation also purchased
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bread from local bakeries
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and dairy and meat products
from local providers
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to give to area food pantries.
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It also purchased $37,000 worth
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of $50 gift cards from area restaurants
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to give to stressed out employees
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at Durango School District 9-R.
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In addition, cultural arts organizations
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received $50,000 from revenues
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raised from the foundation's virtual
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Concerts in the Park series last summer.
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You can support small businesses
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and nonprofits that the
pandemic continues to impact
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by making a donation to the foundation
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through its website at
swcommunityfoundation.org.
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Thanks for watching
the Local News Network,
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serving Montezuma County,
Durango, Pagosa Springs,
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Telluride, and Farmington, New Mexico.
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I'm Wendy Graham Settle.
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