A recent fire in a Brookline apartment building left seven of our neighbors without a home and with limited resources for food, warm clothing and other essentials. With fire and water damage to their building and reconstruction taking longer than expected, these residents have been moving around to stay with friends and family whenever possible or staying in hotels. However, they have depleted their initial resources.
As the cold winter continues to bring snow, these neighbors need our help. The Brookline Office of Diversity, Inclusion and Community Relations and Brookline Community Mental Health Center reached out to the Brookline Community Foundation (BCF) for additional support. Through the new BCF Rapid Response Fund, we made an immediate grant* to provide the necessary funds for temporary housing for two of the tenants and funds for food and clothing for all seven of those displaced.
*Please note that all funds provided by BCF must be given to a qualifying non-profit organization and cannot be awarded directly to individuals.
BCF Rapid Response Fund Ready to Help
In response to conversations with town leaders about the challenges of responding quickly to town emergencies such as fires, BCF recently established the BCF Rapid Response Fund to help in the aftermath of a disaster or other unforeseen event. A generous anonymous donor made a gift to launch the fund, which is intended to meet one-time, emergency needs, as well as to provide short-term assistance for items such as: temporary housing, basic needs, medical care and counseling or community clean up only after other emergency resources and funds are exhausted. For more information about the BCF Rapid Response Fund, please call Reilly Zlab at 617-566-4442.
You Can Help – With a Donation Today
One never knows when a disaster will occur – or when our neighbors will be faced with such unexpected challenges. But as a community, we can be prepared. We ask for your help to build this Fund to ensure that all of our neighbors have the resources they need to help them through a crisis. Donations made from caring neighbors, like you, can ensure that the BCF Rapid Response Fund is able to respond quickly during these times of unexpected need, both now and in the future. Give online today at give.brooklinecommunity.org by selecting “An Existing Fund,” and then “BCF Rapid Response Fund.”
About the Brookline Community Foundation
The Brookline Community Foundation shines a spotlight on community needs, inspires philanthropy and awards strategic grants to build a more vibrant, engaged and equitable Brookline.
