Tahoe Help During COVID-19

One of the defining traits of a community is how its people, organizations and institutions come together to help one another in times of crisis. And one of the things that makes Tahoe so special is how it's made up of so many spectacularly individual personalities yet is always at the forefront of bonding together for the common good.

Barton Foundation

One example is the financial assistance fund that the Barton Foundation is organizing to help folks on the South Shore who have taken a hit from the current medical crisis. It's called the COVID-19 Response Fund, and it's designed to provide some monetary help to "residents, families, healthcare workers and first responders impacted by the pandemic." Recipients can be awarded grants of up to $500 to help address personal challenges or financial hardships resulting from the health crisis. Applications for the grant funding are available at Barton's website. The same web address provided for grant applications will also accept donations. These contributions are tax deductible and the Barton Foundation has committed that the full 100% of the money sent to the COVID-19 Response Fund will go to helping those who need it.

Donating Masks

What if you want to help out but don't have the financial means to donate to the fund? Barton Memorial Hospital is also seeking supplies and masks to deal with the current emergency. Supplies that are particularly helpful include "disinfecting wipes such as Clorox or Sani-cloth wipes, hand sanitizer, face shields, goggles and eye shields, isolation or surgical gowns, Controlled Air Purifying Respirator (CAPR) and Powered Air Purifying Respirator (PAPR) machines or disposables." As for masks, donations of N95, surgical and procedure masks are welcome, or you can even be a big help by sewing masks for the health care providers. Barton has provided patterns and even instructional videos online.

Tahoe Truckee GoFundMe

Another example is the donation drive on GoFundMe for Emergency Relief for Tahoe Truckee CV-19. Organized by Kelly Dietz of Tahoe Luxury Properties, this web page is a way for people to provide immediate financial help for those in our Tahoe Truckee community who have been hardest hit by the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic. Some of the recipients of this assistance include the Sierra Community House and the Boys & Girls Club of North Lake Tahoe in Kings Beach. The Sierra Community House is working to provide food to those in need by offering boxes of groceries and grocery-store gift cards. The Boys & Girls Club is serving curbside dinners in an effort to alleviate new pressures being experienced by families. And given that this is a new program in response to the crisis, no funding has been previously budgeted or allocated for it, making the GoFundMe project essential at this time. Tahoe Luxury Property's Judith Kline also notes that funds raised through the web page may also be applied toward rent relief for locals who are in need. The GoFundMe project's official page name is Emergency Relief for Tahoe Truckee CV-19, and the organizers have committed to swiftly allocate donations to where they can make an immediate positive impact.

Facebook Page for Tahoe Truckee Efforts

Dietz also notes that there are Facebook pages where community members can communicate and organize assistance efforts, such as the page at Emergency Relief - Tahoe/Truckee Covid-19. The page has recently been serving as an informational site to help coordinate relief activities, such as gathering ski goggles and delivering them to hospitals for healthcare workers to use in place of their depleted stores of protective medical equipment.

 

For updates on these and other community efforts to address local impacts from the current pandemic, bookmark Tahoe.com and check back regularly. And if you can, stay home and stay safe.