Cape fund pivots to respond to COVID-19

Mar. 19--The idea behind the Cape Cod and Islands Major Crisis Relief Fund when it was organized four years ago was to create a super charity that would help local people devastated by major events such as a hurricane.

But on Wednesday, relief fund employees spent part of the day switching out website photos of storm damage and replacing them with graphic depictions of the new coronavirus.

Disaster has struck the region, but it's not what was anticipated, said Judy Scarafile, the fund's managing director.

"It's a health disaster, a health crisis," Scarafile said. "Not what we expected here on Cape Cod, on a peninsula that sticks out in the ocean, for our first launch."

Established in 2016 as an arm of the Cape Cod Times Needy Fund, the relief fund is gearing up to aid Cape Codders who need food and medical care or are suffering a loss of income due to the COVID-19 pandemic that has closed down schools, restaurants and retail establishments.

As of Wednesday afternoon, public health officials said more than 250 state residents have been sickened by COVID-19, including three people in Sandwich.

After Hurricane Sandy struck New York and New Jersey, Jane Davenport of the Davenport Cos. asked about mobilizing the Needy Fund to help in the event of a major crisis here, Cape Cod Times Publisher Peter Meyer said.

The goal was to go beyond the current capability of the Needy Fund, which helps 4,000 people and families a year, by establishing a disaster branch.

"We always said it's not if it happens, it's when," Scarafile said.

The relief fund now has just under $400,000 in its coffers, Scarafile said, a figure organizers want to more than double.

When the nonprofit was first established, major donors including Barnstable County Mutual Insurance, Cape Cod Healthcare, Shepley Wood Products and Cape Cod Five Savings Bank stepped up, Scarafile said.

As recent years went by without a major weather event, the fund did not generate much activity. Now that a major crisis is facing Cape Codders, the fund is ramping up fundraising to meet local needs, Scarafile said.

The goal is to raise at least $1 million, possibly more, she said.

"We may need to go far beyond that. We don't know where the need is yet."

The novel coronavirus that is wreaking havoc with the national economy is causing particular damage on the Cape, with its mix of a medically vulnerable older population and sidelined hospitality workers, many of whom rely on tips to pay their bills.

People who have found themselves suddenly without a paycheck "will be on top of our list," Scarafile said.

As with the Needy Fund, recipients do not receive cash, she said. Instead payments are made directly to the individuals' mortgage companies, landlords or fuel companies, she said.

Scarafile said the relief fund is working with local officials and nonprofit organizations such as the Cape Cod Foundation to fill in the financial gaps for people who need help.

Scarafile likened the relief fund to a rainy day fund writ large. "It's now raining," she said.

For information about receiving assistance or volunteering, look for website updates on majorcrisisrelieffund.org.

To learn more about donating, visit majorcrisisrelieffund.org/donate/, call 508-777-7107 or email [email protected].

Follow Cynthia McCormick on Twitter: @Cmccormickcct.

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