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The Bayou Community Foundation (BCF) today presented grants totaling $198,845 to 21 non-profit organizations working in Lafourche, Terrebonne and Grand Isle from the Foundation’s Bayou Recovery Fund for COVID-19 Relief. The emergency grants will help nonprofits provide food, health care, housing and utility assistance, and education resources to local residents most impacted by the current health and economic crisis in our community.
“These significant grants we award today really demonstrate the power of our Bayou Community Foundation to support our Terrebonne, Lafourche and Grand Isle community and help fill the most critical needs of our community during the most challenging times,” said President Henry Lafont. “We are grateful to all donors to the Bayou Recovery Fund who have shared their gifts with us to help our Bayou Region, and of course, all of the nonprofits who are serving the most vulnerable in our community during this crisis.”
“COVID-19 has created some very difficult challenges for many across our state, especially our most vulnerable populations,” said Leah Brown, Public Affairs Manager for Chevron’s Gulf of Mexico Business Unit. “We are pleased that our contribution to the Bayou Recovery Fund will help our community overcome some of the obstacles they may be facing to take care of everyday needs. We feel very fortunate to partner with Bayou Community Foundation as they support Lafourche, Terrebonne and Grand Isle residents.”
The coronavirus pandemic and subsequent economic downturn has resulted in increased demand for health care services as well as severe unemployment in our area, with thousands of local residents turning to nonprofit organizations for help filling basic needs for their families. The BCF grants awarded in this first round of funding from the Bayou Recovery Fund for COVID-19 Relief will support food banks, rent and utility assistance programs, virus testing and PPE distribution, medicine for the elderly and vulnerable, meal distribution for essential works, employee and student assistance programs, education resources for online learning, baby care items for high-need mothers, and safe housing for victims of abuse. (See list of grants below)
“The pandemic has not only pushed thousands of our local residents into unemployment and increased the need for basic necessities like food and housing, but it has also drastically changed the way nonprofits like ours serve residents and help fill their critical needs,” explained Julie Pellegrin, Executive Director of The Haven, which received a $11,000 grant. “This Bayou Recovery Fund grant will be a tremendous help to our nonprofit in funding flexible housing to protect victims of domestic violence and their children while we adhere to social distancing precautions in our primary shelter.”
BCF continues to accept donations to the Bayou Recovery Fund for COVID-19 Relief to fill ongoing emergency relief needs in Lafourche, Terrebonne and Grand Isle. Tax-deductible donations may be made at www.BayouCF.org. Following this first round of relief grants announced today, BCF will open the application process for a second round of Bayou Recovery Fund grants next week with a deadline in late May.
“Here in Lafourche, Terrebonne and Grand Isle, we are proud of our rich culture and bountiful coast, and we should also be very proud of our tremendous generosity and compassion. We give because we care, and because we give, these nonprofits receiving grants today and hundreds of others are able to care for the sick, the poor, and the hungry among us. We are all in this together,” Lafont said.
Round 1 Grants:
Catholic Charities, Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux – $25,000
- Rent, mortgage and utility assistance for needy individuals and families
Catholic Community Center, Galliano – $17,000
- Rent, mortgage and utility assistance for needy South Lafourche and Grand Isle residents, gas cards for transportation to medical appointments
Start Corporation – $13,300
- Triage nurse to facilitate COVID-19 screening and testing at Start Community Health Center in Houma
Terrebonne Council on Aging – $11,000
- Cleaning and disinfectant supplies to sanitize buses and vans between each transport of seniors to medical appointments and dialysis
The Haven – $11,000
- Flexible housing program for victims of domestic abuse/sexual assault, enabling the nonprofit to serve more clients while social distancing guidelines are followed in the primary shelter
Al Copeland Foundation – $10,000
- Program using local restaurants and food vendors to provide meals, snacks and household supplies to health care workers at local hospitals
Fletcher Technical Community College Foundation – $10,000
- Student Emergency Relief Program to provide financial assistance to students in need
Good Samaritan Food Bank, Raceland – $10,000
- Food distribution to the needy
Lafourche Chamber Foundation – $10,000
- PPE, medical supplies, snacks and quick meals for essential health care workers in Lafourche Parish
Second Harvest Food Bank – $10,000
- Food and supplies for 12 or more food banks and food pantries in Lafourche, Terrebonne and Grand Isle expecting to serve 10,000 families during the crisis
St. Vincent de Paul Tri Parish Community Pharmacy – $10,000
- Medicine for the poor and elderly, serving over 200 needy clients per month
Terrebonne Churches United Food Bank, Houma – $10,000
- Food distribution to the needy
Nicholls State University – $8,545
- Purchase of annual subscription of software to allow for proctored exam administration for over 6,000 students in the current virtual learning environment
Pointe-au-Chien Indian Tribe – $8,000
- Food assistance for needy members of the tribal community
Faith Ministries, International – $5,000
- Food distribution to the needy in Terrebonne and Lafourche Parish
The Foundation for TGMC – $5,000
- Employee assistance fund for needy health care workers
Gulf Coast Baptist Church, Golden Meadow – $5,000
- Food distribution to the needy in South Lafourche and Grand Isle
Holy Rosary Emergency Relief Group, Houma – $5,000
- Meals distributed at homeless shelters, food delivery to the elderly and shut-in, individual assistance to the poor
Lifted by Love – $5,000
- Bag lunches, non-perishable food and baby care items distributed to high-need mothers and expectant mothers
Salvation Army, Houma Service Center – $5,000
- Rent, mortgage and utility assistance for needy individuals and families
United Houma Nation – $5,000
- Medicine and health care for elderly and shut-in tribal members
