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Lake County relief fund grows

LAKE COUNTY, Ind. (Inside INdiana Business) — Gifts from several foundations have led to raising nearly a million dollars for COVID-19 relief in Lake County. The John and James Knight Legacy Foundation, Dean and Barbara White Family Foundation and a joint effort from Legacy Foundation, Crown Point Community Foundation and Foundations of East Chicago have raised over $915,000.

“In the 26 American communities where Knight functions, we will join others providing immediate relief. In Gary, we will contribute $500,000 to support Legacy Foundation’s COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund,” the Knight Foundation wrote in an email statement.

The White Family Foundation announced a $250,000 contribution.

“We are deeply grateful for the response we’ve received to the Emergency Fund. We’ve heard from many people within and outside of our community who recognize the health and financial impact this pandemic is having on our residents and businesses and want to contribute,” said Legacy Foundation president, Carolyn Saxton.

Organizers say they saw several applications being filed the first week the grant was open, and this week the foundations met to award over $107,000 in emergency grants to nonprofit Lake County organizations. 

The awarded organizations include: 219 Health Network, Inc., Beachfront Dance School, Best Buddies Indiana, Catholic Charities Diocese of Gary, Chicagoland Immigrant Welcome Network and  CRWorks, Inc., among many others. The grants cover protective equipment for healthcare workers, meal delivery and distribution, sanitation supplies, housing assistance and childcare.

Eligibility requirements and the grant application can be found here