COVID-19 Regional Response Fund Grantee Spotlight: Edwardsville Community Foundation

The Edwardsville Community Foundation works to improve the lives of people in Edwardsville, Glen Carbon, Hamel, Moro, Dorsey and Worden, Illinois. The Foundation supports the missions of nonprofits in these communities as they meet the unique needs of their residents.

“We continue to see hardship from the pandemic, whether it be in families and senior citizens or in adults with disabilities who need food support,” says Pamela Farrar, Executive Director. “Families in our communities are facing tremendous challenges.”

The COVID pandemic pushed the Edwardsville Foundation to create a disaster fund for the first time. Their goal was to get dollars out into the communities as quickly as possible. The COVID-19 Regional Response Grant from the St. Louis Community Foundation went straight into the disaster fund, which focused on basic and emergency needs. It helped cover medical needs, mental health needs, food, meal delivery for senior citizens and others who are homebound, and helped provide personal protective equipment for the staff of some organizations so they could serve the community and remain safe themselves.

“This has been an unprecedented time,” says Pamela. “So our response had to be unprecedented. We dispersed grants faster than ever before, using technology to keep the process moving. This pandemic, and our ability to respond thanks in part to the St. Louis Community Foundation, has brought the Edwardsville Community Foundation to a new level.”

To learn more about the Edwardsville Community Foundation, visit their website at edwardsvillecommunityfoundation.org and learn more about the COVID-19 Regional Response Fund at stlgives.org/covid19.