The Mattole Valley Resource Center has received a $9,900 grant from HAF+WRCF toward the purchase of a shipping container to house a food pantry and disaster supplies for residents of Honeydew.
“This grant will help build disaster preparedness and resilience for Mattole Valley residents by increasing the capacity and reliability of storage space for food and supplies such as water, blankets, diapers and other necessities,” said Rachel Montgomery, HAF+WRCF’s program officer of Programs and Community Solutions.
An additional $5,100 is being provided by the Smullin Foundation to fully fund the project, which includes the purchase of a shipping container and outfitting it with electricity, shelves and other infrastructure, Montgomery said.
“HAF+WRCF couldn’t have done this without the ongoing generosity of our community partners and individual donors, and it is always wonderful when we can partner with the Smullin Foundation to help meet community needs.”
Residents of this small, isolated area recently lost their food storage space due to damage from a bear. Since then, volunteers have been distributing food outdoors monthly to Honeydew residents, with leftover food transported back to the resource center in Petrolia, which has limited space. The region is frequently impacted by and isolated due to severe weather, wildfires, earthquakes, and power outages.
Funding for these grants is provided through HAF+WRCF’s Disaster Response and Resilience Fund, established in 2021 as a response to the 2020-21 fire season and funded by contributions from individual donors and philanthropic partners. The fund assists groups that support the most vulnerable people impacted by natural and human-made disasters.
Learn more about the Disaster Response & Resilience Fund at hafoundation.org/disasterfund. Learn more about donating by contacting HAF+WRCF’s Donor Services team at donorservices@hafoundation.org.