The Giving Together Hurricane Matthew Relief Fund of Cumberland Community Foundation, Inc. recently awarded the North Carolina Conference of The United Methodist Church another grant of $60,052.80 to employ an additional full-time construction manager and to purchase a work truck.
The new position, based in Fayetteville, will benefit Cumberland county residents affected by Hurricane Matthew and will last about one year. Based on initial estimates, adding this position will double the number of homes being repaired simultaneously in the county. Now, 14 homes are under repair with 23 more on the waiting list.
This latest grant from the Giving Together Hurricane Matthew Relief Fund of Cumberland Community Foundation, Inc. brings their generous support total to $150,052.80. The grants have funded a variety of purposes — purchase of general construction supplies, removal of solid waste, repair costs for specific clients, purchase and installation of new HVAC systems, contracting of a licensed plumber and electrician, expansion of volunteer facilities — and now a one-year construction manager position.
Previous grant awards have been spread throughout 2017: 10,000 in January, $20,000 in April, and $60,000 in May. The donors who have made these gifts possible come from all walks of life and give donations of all sizes. Foundation staff describe their organization as a local one “that offers everyday citizens the opportunity to be philanthropists and create the kind of community where people want to live.” The support of those “everyday citizens” has been invaluable to recovery efforts.
“The generosity of the Cumberland Community Foundation has and will continue to go a long way in helping the recovery effort succeed,” says Don Evans, NC Conference disaster center manager in Fayetteville. “It shows that when people are in need, good people will and do come to their aid.”
“Hurricane Matthew was a very destructive storm,” Evans adds, “but with the generous financial support from the Cumberland Community Foundation, along with other grants and donations, we will be able to repair/rebuild almost 60 homes in our county. Thank you, Cumberland Community Foundation, for helping us rebuild lives, one home at a time.”
After Hurricane Matthew caused vast flooding damage in the area, Cumberland Community Foundation, Inc. created the Giving Together Hurricane Matthew Relief Fund of Cumberland Community Foundation, Inc. to raise support for disaster relief and recovery in Cumberland County. Since 1980, the Cumberland Community Foundation, Inc. has awarded $47 million in grants to nonprofit organizations that help the community thrive.