DENVER - Governor Jared Polis and IKEA Retail U.S. announced that the company is calculating unemployment claims submitted by their employees and donating that money back to the Colorado COVID Relief Fund. The company is donating nearly $1 million, one of the largest contributions to the Fund to date.
“I’m so proud of the way Coloradans have stepped up to support helpcoloradonow.org and one another during this difficult time. In addition to the generosity of so many individuals, creative partnerships like this are another important way that we can make a difference in our communities,” said Governor Jared Polis. “I want to thank IKEA for this donation and the support it will bring to Coloradans who are being directly impacted by this global pandemic.”
“We are appreciative of the ongoing support from the state of Colorado, including the unemployment funds paid to our co-workers who were furloughed in the early weeks of the pandemic,” said Javier Quiñones, IKEA Retail U.S. president. “People are the heart of our business, and the state unemployment benefits helped IKEA US co-workers during a difficult time. We now have a better understanding of the impact of COVID-19 on our business, and we’ve decided to “pay it forward” to support the ongoing COVID relief efforts in our local communities.”
On August 8, the fund will be accepting a sixth round of grants. The Fund will be accepting tiered applications for coordinated organizations, up to $100,000. The Governor encourages Coloradans to donate and help meet the needs of all Coloradans, and also encourages organizations that are in need of funding to apply for funds in Round Six.
The following organizations are just a few that have received support from the COVID Relief Fund:
Eastern Plains Healthcare Consortium is a collaboration of rural hospitals in the eastern part of the state serving Adams, Arapahoe, Cheyenne, Elbert, Kiowa, Kit Carson, Lincoln, Logan, Morgan, Phillips, Sedgwick, Yuma Counties. The organization requested $15,000 in funding to set up a centralized call system where COVID-19 cases that are transferred to hospitals on the eastern plains from other health systems are connected with a team of case managers. This will not only foster collaboration across health systems but help to build capacity at our rural hospitals.
Rotary Club of the North Fork Valley Foundation received $3,600 from the fund for a program that takes fresh food grown by North Fork Valley farmers -- including fresh greens, seasonal vegetables, fruits, eggs, cheeses, and meats -- and distributes it to local families in need through Farm Runners and the Old River Trading Post, two North Fork businesses currently addressing hunger in children, their families and older adults. They’ve already been able to donate around 1,000 boxes of food.
Aurora Community Connection requested $50,000 from the fund and with that money, they were able to pay all or part of one month’s rent for 28 families and help another 42 families gain access to rent assistance resources available through other agencies. With the funding, the ACC’s family resource center is continuing to provide housing support, utility support and food access to working families experiencing partial or complete wage loss due to the pandemic. By offering resource and referral services within a comprehensive case management framework, ACC is working with families to not only access essential resources in the short-term, but to provide stability so families can be self-sufficient beyond the immediate crisis.
For more information about the Colorado COVID Relief Fund, visit www.helpcoloradonow.org.
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