June Share the Plate Partner: Mayor’s COVID-19 Response Fund

Our Share the Plate partner this month is the Mayor’s COVID-19 Response Fund. Housed at United Way and chaired by former Senator Dr. Bill Frist, the Fund supports nonprofit agencies that are helping individuals and families impacted economically by the coronavirus outbreak. It was formed to quickly and effectively address both the health and economic challenges of this virus.

As the COVID-19 crisis continues to unfold, individuals and families are struggling. As bars and restaurants now operate at reduced capacities, schools and childcare centers are unable to open, and businesses see diminished revenues, the economic effects are becoming immense, particularly for those living paycheck to paycheck. Many families still struggling to recover from the recent tornadoes will find their path to stable housing and financial stability even more challenging. Senior citizens are particularly vulnerable.

To proactively address the health and economic impact on our neighbors, Mayor John Cooper convened a group of philanthropic, government and business partners to form a COVID-19 Response Fund, which is rapidly deploying resources to community-based organizations, getting dollars to where they are needed most. Housed at United Way and chaired by former Senator Dr. Bill Frist, the COVID-19 Response Fund focused its initial allocations on helping our neighbors who are experiencing lost wages or who become ill from the virus receive the assistance they need to stay in their homes and keep food on the table.

Side-by-side with the Mayor’s Office, United Way and the Response Committee are getting these dollars into Greater Nashville quickly by funding nonprofit partners and service providers working directly with those disproportionately impacted by this challenging landscape. They worked quickly to form a Response Committee that represents the community and is tasked with guiding and overseeing the Fund and creating an online application process through which community-based organizations can apply for Funding.

“This is new territory for Greater Nashville and for the country. People are really going to be struggling to make ends meet and we want to do everything we can to show them that we are here to help. This is an opportunity for our community to come together and demonstrate that we believe in supporting each other in times of need. Nashville did just that in the days following the tornadoes and we can do it again as we face this new crisis.” (Brian Hassett, CEO & President, United Way of Greater Nashville)
Please give generously to Share the Plate.