Emergency relief fund set up by community members to help Carpinteria

CARPINTERIA, Calif. - Moving quickly in the early stages of the coronavirus crisis, Carpinteria community leaders have rallied together to create the 93013 fund.

The fund will help nonprofit groups in need that will back fill when specific sectors of the community find themselves suffering from a loss of funds during the economic downturn and impacts from the virus .

"We gotta do something," said Hans Brands with the Rotary Sunset Charitable Foundation. He said early on they wanted to "create a fund so we can spend the money in town."

It is an action they want to do now, not later. "We don't want to sit here and September, June, whatever it is, and look back and say we should have done something because the restaurants are gone or the people are hurt. We want to do whatever we can, if we can make a change we try."

Already more than $65,000 have been raised.

Those in need can apply on line.

Brand said, "100 percent of those funds will go into the community, into these programs, and when this is over this will be stopped. We know the need is going to be huge, so the pressure is to make sure we have enough funds to go deep into the community."

Already several nonprofits such as the Boys & Girls Club and Girls Incorporated, which serves young people year round, will be on the list of groups to receive support, along with the Community Action Commission.

There will also be support for the Wednesday food drive and distribution. "The first food drive I heard about was 140, second was 280, and the third I heard about was 480. We are just starting this," said Brand.

He and the Carp Growers have been joined by many generous residents who have provided the start up funds to go with donations large and small.

"Come on let's get together and put our shoulders under this community and make sure these restaurants and little shops can keep their lights on so they have a business they can come back to and then we have a town that, later on, we come back and say we tried something and have helped some people."

A specially chosen board which includes city officials and community leaders will decide how the money is allocated.

They are hoping it will ease some of the expected disruption from the COVID-19 impacts on the Carpinteria Valley and those who live and work there.

For more information go to: www.93013fund.org.

For more information about this Rotary group go to: Rotary Club of Carpinteria Sunset Charitable Foundation.