EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. — A local nonprofit has raised and distributed $127,000 in pandemic relief for the Edwardsville community.
Edwardsville Neighbors, a nonprofit that helps families facing a medical crisis, said it pulled the money together in fewer than two months.
The nonprofit was able to distribute $41,000 in assistance checks to people in need within a month of creating its COVID-19 relief assistance initiative.
The remaining money was raised by the "Taste at Home" festival all in one night.
The yearly Taste of Edwardsville festival was postponed until Sept. 19 due to the coronavirus, but Edwardsville Neighbors still wanted to do something to support the community.
“Without these amazing local restaurants, Taste of Edwardsville would not exist so we knew we had to do something to say 'thank you' for the years of the support they’ve given us,” said Edwardsville Neighbors President and Co-Founder Kathie Opel in a press release.
“We were determined to hold Virtual Taste on the same day we would have typically held our traditional event, which meant we only had ten days to pull everything together.”
"Taste at Home" was held on April 18. Participants could buy a "Taste at Home Tote" and have food from local restaurants delivered straight to their house. There was a Facebook live complete with interactive elements and a concert, and the nonprofit also used its mobile bidding site to create an online auction.
More than 400 families participated, and $86,000 was raised -- all of which will go to restaurants and their staff, as well as other local businesses.
“We feel so grateful for the support the community has shown us for these fundraising efforts,” Opel said. “This is a very stressful and uncertain time for a lot of people, and it was amazing to just take a moment to not only help people, but also give them something to enjoy with their families. We’re so thankful to everyone who helped us pull this virtual event together on such short notice.”