Sechelt council has voted to earmark $50,000 from its Community Forest dividends to match donations to the Sunshine Coast Community Foundation’s recently established COVID-19 Emergency Relief Fund.
Coun. Matt McLean, who’s been working with the Sunshine Coast Community Task Force, brought the idea forward at the April 15 council meeting.
The emergency fund, according to the Community Foundation, will be used for grants “to charities deemed to be helping the most vulnerable citizens on the Coast.”
The Community Foundation has already put $50,000 into the fund and has been asking for donations from the community.
McLean’s written motion said, “the COVID-19 pandemic has wide reaching implication on the Sunshine Coast with many residents experiencing increased financial and social pressure who will require support… [and] social service organizations will be on the front lines responding to serve those most in need.”
He told council that matching donations to the emergency fund through the Community Forest dividend falls in line with the goal of having Community Forest profits support organizations on the Sunshine Coast.
“Anything that we want to do for the community in response to COVID should be a partnership with community members, so the logic of the matching funds is to get more people from the community contributing to this,” McLean said.
“Ordinarily in these trying times I’d be really hesitant for us to be handing out this kind of money, but I think the Community Foundation does really good work and I think this is a good way to funnel that money,” said Coun. Alton Toth.
Sechelt’s finance department will report back to council at the end of July on how much has come in to the Community Foundation in donations to be matched; if it’s less than $50,000, council will have the option to decide whether it wants to contribute the remaining amount.
“If we’re allocating that money, I’m hoping we can put that money to COVID relief even if we don’t get the matching funds in some way,” said Coun. Janice Kuester.
The district’s Community Forest Dividend Reserve currently has a balance of about $98,000.
Those interested in donating to the emergency fund, or applying for a grant, can find more information at the Community Foundation’s website: www.sccfoundation.com
