CERF is a partnership of local nonprofits and a multi-agency response center seeking to assist the community with resources during the coronavirus crisis.
“This is an opportunity for us to come together when everything around us is telling us to separate,” McKenna Foundation CEO Alice Jewell said in an email. “We cannot ignore the realities that this pandemic is currently presenting to our community—potentially mental, emotional, physical, spiritual and financial crisis.”
McKenna contributed $50,000 in seed funding to create CERF, which will provide “direct crisis financial support and other assistance to New Braunfels and Comal County families affected by COVID-19.
Another $50,000 was provided by a local philanthropist. The community fundraising goal is $250,000. Tax-deductible donations are being sought in any amount and can be made online or by calling Brit King at 830-606-9536.
CERF’s resources will be distributed through various nonprofits centralized at the McKenna Events Center, in what has been dubbed the Multi-Agency Response Center, or MARC.
Financial support will be based on each applicant’s unique needs and COVID-19 related job loss, reduced income and any federal or state assistance that might be available, according to a press release distributed by McKenna.
The Comal County Habitat for Humanity, Family Life Center, Salvation Army, New Braunfels Food Bank, Community Resource and Recreation Center of Canyon Lake (United Way), and Hill Country Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Center have partnered with McKenna to provide the following resources at the MARC, beginning Wednesday, April 1:
- Mental health professionals;
- Financial assistance for rent or mortgage payments;
- Financial assistance for utility bills;
- Direct food assistance;
- Assistance acquiring P-SNAP benefits (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program); and
- Spiritual support.
