A round of grants has been awarded from the new Critical Response Funds established by Community Foundation of the North State. The funds were created in direct response to the food insecurity and inability to pay bills faced by many Northstate residents from the extended federal government shutdown. Money donations to the county-specific funds are awarded as grants to local nonprofit and public entities that provide direct assistance to help households keep food on the table and keep the lights on. $10,000 has been given to Mercy Foundation North for food distribution through Connected Living, whose food bank is used by Good News Rescue Mission, Salvation Army and many other non-profits. Other grants totaling around $27,000 have been awarded to several Siskiyou County relief organizations. Donations can be made to specific funds at cfnorthstate.org.
-Steve Gibson